Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National Senior Community Engagement Specialist Scott Allen delivers a presentation during a two-day Situation Table Training session in Springfield, Vermont. (Photo courtesy Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National)
SPRINGFIELD, Vermont — Cordata’s Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL) & QRT National recently delivered a two-day Situation Table Training session in Springfield, Vermont.
On Nov. 21 and 22, 36 attendees representing more than 24 agencies were trained at the Nolin-Murray Center in Springfield on the Situation Table model, a strategy that facilitates multi-agency interventions for those at risk of experiencing a crisis. Springfield anticipates launching its Situation Table meetings within two or three weeks of the training.
Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National Senior Community Engagement Specialists Michael Botieri and Scott Allen, as well as Subject Matter Expert Dan Cortez of the Chelsea Police Department in Massachusetts, delivered the training.
The Situation Table trainings are sponsored and funded through Vermont Gov. Phil Scott’s Public Safety Enhancement Team (PSET). Four pilot sites were identified through the PSET Consortium. Springfield was the second to participate in the Situation Table training, followed by Brattleboro in early December. The first training was held in Bennington in November. The fourth site is to be determined.
The participants who attended the training came from numerous partner agencies, including the Springfield Police Department; Chester Police Department; Hartford Police Department; Rutland City Police Department; Vermont State Police; Windsor County Sheriff’s Department; behavioral health providers, including Health Care and Rehabilitation Services and Turning Point Recovery Support Center; Vermont Department of Corrections, including Probation and Parole; social services and community organizations, including Springfield Supported Housing Program and the Women’s Freedom Center; and state and local government representatives.
The Situation Table model is being introduced to the state of Vermont through PSET, in support of Gov. Scott’s 10-point Public Safety Enhancement and Violence Prevention Action Plan. The governor’s plan includes addressing specific goals that the Situation Table is designed to address.
The training focused on equipping the attending agencies with the skills and lessons necessary to mobilize and launch their Situation Table. A Situation Table is a unique, risk-based rapid triage model that brings together multiple human service providers to address situations where individuals and families face a specific Acutely Elevated Risk (AER) threshold. Situation tables comprise representatives from public safety agencies, public health agencies, service providers, and other community partners.
“We had a tremendous level of participation and satisfaction reported by attendees at our training in Springfield,” Senior Community Engagement Specialist Botieri said. “This Situation Table Training was the second in Vermont as part of the governor’s Public Safety Enhancement Team initiative, and we look forward to our additional two trainings in Vermont.”
Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National thank the local project sponsor, Vermont PSET Consortium, and community organizers, including Springfield Police Department Chief Jeffrey Burnham of Project ACTION (Assembling Community To Improve Our Neighborhoods), for their hospitality during the training and assistance with scheduling and preparation.
Through the model, an individual or family at AER can refer to the Situation Table to consider possible outreach and engagement before a crisis occurs. The table participants will collaborate and discuss the identified risk factors and potential services. When a consensus is reached, the table will identify a team of agencies to help locate the individual or family and connect them to services.
“We are thrilled to continue introducing the Situation Table model to a variety of agencies and organizations in Vermont,” Senior Community Engagement Specialist Allen said. “Our goal is to focus on violence prevention, substance use disorders, behavioral health issues, and other risk factors through shared community response.”
The Situation Table model was developed in Canada by Global Network for Community Safety, a Canadian-based firm that focuses on innovations to improve community safety and well-being across Canada and in the U.S. Through a partnership between Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National and Global Network, the organizations work cross-border to collectively provide multi-agency community responses to address issues of marginalization, for pre-crisis identification and crisis interventions, while creating pathways to care and support. Their combined expertise and suite of services — based on internationally recognized best past practices — help provide communities with tailored responses to meet their current needs and the ability to rapidly adjust to an evolving landscape of risk factors, including those around substance use disorders, mental health disorders, and related social health issues.
More than 150 Situation Tables have been launched throughout Canada and the United States.
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Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National Senior Community Engagement Specialist Michael Botieri leads an exercise during a two-day Situation Table Training session in Springfield, Vermont. (Photo courtesy Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National)
Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National Subject Matter Expert Dan Cortez of the Chelsea Police Department in Massachusetts delivers a presentation during a two-day Situation Table Training session in Springfield, Vermont. (Photo courtesy Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National)
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