HUDSON – With the help of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, the Hudson/Sudbury Jail Diversion Program will continue to assist the community.
During the Dec. 19 Select Board meeting, the board unanimously accepted a $99,997 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health to support the program.
Established in 2018, the Hudson/Sudbury Jail Diversion program pairs officers from the Hudson and Sudbury police departments with a clinician to assist people who may be suffering from mental health crises and potential overdoses.
The program is conducted through Advocates, which is an organization based in Framingham that offers a number of services including co-response jail diversion. Advocates also partners with Marlborough, Southborough, Northborough, Westborough, Shrewsbury and Grafton.
As part of the program, clinicians respond to calls with police and provide “rapid assessment and de-escalation,” which allows for a reduction in transportation to hospital emergency departments for mental health assessment, according to Advocates’ website.
According to statistics from Advocates’ website, 75% are diverted from arrest and placed into appropriate treatment. And, those who have committed more serious crimes and must be detained also receive support, resources and referrals from the clinician while in police custody.
Hudson Police Chief Richard DiPersio said that the clinician can also respond to someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis while being held at the Hudson Police Department jail and can provide the person with resources.
DiPersio called the partnership with the Sudbury Police Department “incredible.”
“It didn’t take long to realize how valuable the partnership is,” he said.
DiPersio said a clinician has the ability to diagnose and provide the person with mental health resources more quickly than officers.
“The clinician in this program has been incredible over the years. We are at a point where we would be lost without our clinician. She quickly became a huge resource to both police departments,” DiPersio said.
The clinician is trained by Advocates and “brings it back” to the department, DiPersio said. The officers are responsible for protecting the clinician while she responds to a mental health crisis or overdose.
As part of the officers’ training for the program, DiPersio said the clinician performs roll calls with them.
In addition, the program includes an eight-hour evidence-based mental health and first aid training for police officers, which DiPersio said aims to further their understanding of how to better help those in a crisis.
According to DiPersio, the grant will fund operating costs, staff funds, fringe benefits, training, travel and equipment and supplies.
DiPersio said he is glad to receive the grant to help fund the program.
“Words don’t do it [the program] justice, it’s incredible,” he said.
