{"id":106498,"date":"2021-04-30T23:48:40","date_gmt":"2021-05-01T03:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=106498"},"modified":"2021-04-30T23:48:40","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T03:48:40","slug":"pinebrook-family-answers-police-department-mental-health-program-to-double-clients-served-in-allentown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=106498","title":{"rendered":"Pinebrook Family Answers Police Department Mental Health Program to double clients served in Allentown"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Program, which has a 98% success rate, helps alleviate barriers that patrol officers encounter when responding to people with mental illness and\/or substance abuse.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Lehigh Valley, PA \u2013 April 30, 2021<\/strong>, The Allentown Police Department is adding a second Community Intervention Specialist to its ranks,\u00a0a civilian who arranges services, including mental health services for those whose issues may result in police being summoned.<\/p>\n

Karina Antigua has been hired as a second Community Intervention Specialist, to work with Sarina Vas, within the Allentown Police Department.<\/p>\n

The Police Department Mental Health Liaison Program (PDMHL) is\u00a0a collaborative effort administered and supervised by Pinebrook Family Answers, with the goal of alleviating barriers that patrol officers encounter when responding to calls that involve people with mental illness and\/or substance abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis cross-agency approach decreases the need for law enforcement to respond to people with mental health and substance abuse issues.\u201d\u00a0said Bill Vogler, CEO of Pinebrook Family Answers \u201cThe need and success of the PDMHL program is remarkable \u2013 32% increase in people helped over the past three years, with a 98.8% success rate of avoiding incarceration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis hiring addresses a commitment made in the 2021 budget to increase our community intervention capabilities,\u201d said Mayor Ray O\u2019Connell. \u201cWe recognize that a person trained to assist those persons with mental health needs can be very helpful to patrol officers answering calls in some situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community Intervention Specialists work closely with Police Departments to intervene in situations where people with mental illness encounter the police, to refer individuals to the appropriate services, reduce recidivism, and to promote the Recovery Model.<\/p>\n

Allentown Police Chief Glenn Granitz Jr. said \u201cThe Allentown Police Department is committed to expanding our services in the area of responding to calls for service related to mental health. The ongoing relationship with Pinebrook Family Answers and Lehigh County is one that has shown positive results. I feel strongly about this program and that is why I included this position in my 2021 budget. I am appreciative of the support of Mayor O\u2019Connell and City Council for this continued initiative and I look forward to studying the results of these increased services to our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Antigua is the third CIS Pinebrook has placed in police departments in Lehigh County.\u00a0 \u201cMs. Antigua\u2019s years of clinical experience as well as her fluency in Spanish will be an\u00a0asset in connecting with people in the Lehigh Valley and understanding the unique needs of different individuals in our community,\u201d Vogler said.<\/p>\n

The PDMHL program began April 2017 with two clients, steadily climbed to twelve clients per month in 2018 and now averages thirty clients per month. The program served 110 people in 2018-2019 and 161 people in 2019-2020.\u00a01,185 hours of direct-care service was provided from July \u201819 through June \u201820. With the hiring of Karina Antigua, the program\u00a0expects to double the number of people served in Allentown.<\/p>\n

Community Intervention Specialists assist Lehigh Valley residents in their struggles with mental health and\/or substance abuse problems by:<\/p>\n