The Spokane County Board of Commissioners has approved a partnership with the City of Spokane Fire Department to implement a co-responder program aimed at enhancing public safety and improving community outcomes.

The program, which is expected to launch later this year, will pair behavioral health professionals from Frontier Behavioral Health with the fire department’s first responders to address mental health crises more effectively.

“By uniting behavioral health professionals with first responders, we can deliver more effective, compassionate care to those in crisis,” says Mary Kuney, chair of the Spokane County Board of Commissioners, in a press release. “Spokane County remains committed to innovative solutions that prioritize community well-being."

The program also will provide additional alternatives for diversion from unnecessary emergency room utilization and incarceration and ensure more responsive care to people, the release states.

“This is a win for a safer and healthier Spokane,” says Spokane County Commissioner Chris Jordan in the release. “By boosting our region’s behavioral health crisis response, I believe we will see more folks who are struggling getting the help they need to be healthy and stable, all while reducing pressure on law enforcement and improving community safety.”

The co-responder program is supported with funds collected by Spokane County from the Mental Health Sales Tax.