Oakland Community Health Network and Co-Responder Collaboration

Attn: Community Editors FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Caitlin Toth 248-277-5416 Suzanne Weinert 248-758-1991
tothc@oaklandchn.org weinerts@oaklandchn.org

Oakland County Health Network (OCHN) Notes Successful Co-Responder Collaboration
OAKLAND COUNTY, MI (October 5, 2023) – Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN)
notes successful Co-Responder collaboration with Troy Police Department, Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak (Corewell Health), and other community partners.
Last month, an OCHN Co-Responder answered a call alongside the Troy Police Department
(PD) involving a non-speaking individual that was walking near I-75 and 14 Mile
unaccompanied. The OCHN Co-Responder and Troy PD were able to successfully work with
Adult Protective Services (APS), Alliance Mobile Health, and Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak
(Corewell Health) to identify the individual and return them to safety.
“We are thankful for our partnership with OCHN and our Co-Responder to assist in providing
our community members resources when needed,” said Chief Frank Nastasi of the Troy Police
Department.
OCHN notes this successful collaboration as a prime example of how the Co-response
Community Outreach (CoRe) initiative works to integrate multiple agencies, preventing
information from being siloed during crisis response calls. This successful Co-response comes
shortly after National Co-Responder and Crisis Responder Week, which is celebrated the week
of September 18th each year.
OCHN launched their CoRe initiative in 2021 and currently has 4 co-responders that serve
Pontiac, Troy, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Auburn Hills, and Rochester. The OCHN
CoRe initiative has clinicians co-respond with local law enforcement to calls identified as
requiring mental health/substance use related support. Crisis intervention is provided to deescalate and/or stabilize children/adults to prevent further justice involvement, when possible.
In addition, individuals are provided with service coordination, and referral/linkage to resources,
including mental health and/or substance use services.
Inspire Hope • Empower People • Strengthen Communities
5505 Corporate Dr. | Troy, MI 48098 | Phone 248.858.1210 | Fax 248.452.9793
Since August 2021, over 2,239 referrals (9/15/23) individuals have been assisted by OCHN’s
Co-Responder Clinicians.
For more information about OCHN’s co-responder Initiative, please visit the OCHN website at
www.oaklandchn.org. If you are a local law enforcement agency and are interested in
partnering with OCHN to have an embedded clinician, please contact Trisha Zizumbo, OCHN’s
Director of Training and Justice Initiatives at zizumbot@oaklandchn.org.