Diversion Options: Voice and Empowerment (DOVE) Delegates is a research and development partnership that will design an alternative response model that meets Louisville’s unique needs, based substantially on input from the city’s residents and those directly impacted.

The need for an alternative response model derives from community concerns about instances in which law enforcement officers engage with individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.

Susan Buchino, an assistant professor in the and assistant director of the , will co-lead UofL’s research effort with Tony Zipple, an executive-in-residence at SPHIS.

“We have the opportunity to create a program that reduces the criminalization of intellectual and behavioral health conditions by using community-care practices and linking people to appropriate health and social services,” Buchino said.

Those involved in the project will assess best practices from other cities, analyze local data and organize community forums. Although similar models have been highlighted nationally, Louisville’s DOVE Delegates planning process is intentional about learning from the work of others while ensuring the model fits the context and climate of Louisville. DOVE Delegates will seek input of invested community members, as well as city leaders, behavioral health and social service providers, and representatives from advocacy organizations.

The will concentrate on organizing focus groups of Louisville residents to learn about their experiences and to integrate their input into planning and decision-making. A community survey launched this month with focus groups to be held throughout the city. School of Social Work Chair Shannon Cambron will lead Spalding’s involvement, and Louisville social worker and community organizer Khalilah Collins will serve as a project manager on the forums, which aim to elevate the voices of those whose lives may have been negatively impacted by current systems and practices.

Experts from Seven Counties Services will contribute insight from the perspective of a mental health services provider, focusing on behavioral health crisis response.

The work of UofL, Seven Counties and Spalding will be combined into a progress report that will be presented this summer to Louisville Metro Government, which is providing support to the DOVE Delegates through funds focused on reimagining public safety, including forfeiture monies from the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Recommendations will be made for implementation of a pilot program in the city’s 2022 fiscal year. The goal of implementing such a model is to create a positive health and economic impact on the community.

The Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities is supporting DOVE Delegates through a federal Transformation Transfer Initiative Jail Diversion grant from the National Association of State Mental Health Project Directors.

Key to its community engagement, DOVE Delegates has seated a 20-person accountability/advisory board made up of representatives from around the city and from a range of professional and personal backgrounds. The board was formed to ensure accountability and transparency to the community, and it will provide recommendations and insight into the planning and development process while supporting outreach and engagement efforts of the project.

“Events of 2020 represent a public demand for change, and the process of healing requires re-conceptualizing public safety and emergency response systems in a way that honors the needs and wishes of the community and maximizes use of already limited resources,” said Susan Buchino, assistant professor, . “One such way is to provide social and clinical support services as an alternative or auxiliary to police and EMS.”

Buchino, who also serves as assistant director of the , says the Louisville Metro alternative responder program hopes to reduce incidents of confrontation and demands on the Louisville Metro Police Department, as well as create a positive health impact and fiscal savings. The team will investigate national best practices and analyze local data to create a model designed specifically for Louisville. 

Tony Zipple, SPHIS executive-in-residence, along with other are working with Buchino. The region’s community mental health center, is partnering with the SPHIS team in planning Louisville’s model, offering mental health and substance abuse treatment expertise. The also is collaborating on the project.

The planning process includes seeking the input of community members, as well as leaders from multiple government agencies, behavioral health and social service providers, and representatives from advocacy organizations.

“Transparency and community engagement around the planning process is crucial,” said Buchino. “We are including multiple partners to understand how they perceive this project and how it fits into our community and their organization’s other ongoing work.”

The team is consulting with officials in Eugene, Oregon, who implemented an evidence-based model for deflection called . In this model, the Eugene Police Department partnered with White Bird Clinic, a local Federally Qualified Health Center that offers a full range of medical, dental and behavioral health services, as well as drug and alcohol treatment.

Researchers expect to complete a final report later this summer which will include:

• Louisville alternative model design, including an operating model for services
• Comprehensive training materials
• Implementation and evaluation plans
• Budget and sustainability plan
• Cost-benefit forecast