La Porte to launch Quick Response Team

LA PORTE, Ind. - Nov. 5, 2018 - PRLog -- The QRT is an outreach team comprised of a La Porte police officer, a medic from the La Porte Fire Department, and treatment counselors from Frontline Foundations. Within 72 hours of an overdose, this team will visit the individual struggling and connect them with the resources they need. Frontline's treatment counselors will work one-on-one to help these individuals connect with treatment programs.

"Our team is comprised of some of our city's finest first responders and expert treatment counselors that can reach out to our friends and neighbors in crisis and help them take the first step in getting help. We have found that most people in these situations don't even know where to begin. In this case, we can go to them, listen, and help them take the first step," said Christine Michiaels, Frontline's Quick Response Team coordinator.

Amber Hensell, Executive Director of Frontline Foundations, added, "That 72-hour window is a critical time and can be the difference between life and death. We cannot sit and wait for people to come to us. We want to go to these people and help pull them from the despair they might feel trapped in. We want them to know that addiction doesn't have to be a life sentence. There is hope."

The goal of piloting the QRT team in La Porte is to reduce overdoses, increase the number of people getting the treatment they need, and to make sure that these individuals and their families understand that someone out there knows and cares. Additionally, this is a system that has been proven effective. In Summit County, Ohio where the QRT program was previously piloted, they experienced an 80% success rate in getting individuals into treatment and a 30% reduction in opioid-related overdoses.

"It is important for people to understand what the QRT is. We don't want anyone to fear the Quick Response Team. We are not there to make arrests. We are there to help. We are the first responders who respond to these tragic overdose situations, and a lot of times, we don't even know what happens to these individuals. We are honored to have the opportunity to be a part of the QRT so that we can go back and say, 'You aren't alone. We can help you now, so we don't have to see you again with a tragic outcome,'" said La Porte Police Chief Tom Owens.

Mayor Mark Krentz also shared his hopes for the impact QRT could have in La Porte.  "I am extremely hopeful that our Quick Response team will make a real impact on the drug epidemic in our community. I hope this new approach helps reinforce the message that we care about our community and that we are always looking for ways to support those who are struggling."

Frontline Foundations is a nonprofit that serves as a source of hope to men and women suffering from drug and alcohol abuse by providing an effective treatment and recovery support system. For more information about Frontline, please visit www.FrontlineFoundations.com.