The demands of first responders have evolved from criminal and life-threatening duties to safety calls of a different nature.
Updated: Jul. 17, 2025, 9:58 a.m.John Benson/cleveland.com PARMA , Ohio -- The demands of first responders have evolved from criminal and life-threatening duties to safety calls of a different nature. For example, the Parma fire department reported over the last 18 months it responded to 649 psychological emergencies of various types, 178 cases of alcohol abuse, 72 overdoses and 65 suicide attempts.
It’s this trend that led to the recent announcement by Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne proposing the County Council’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Response Program expand into Parma and Parma Heights. When operational, residents calling 911 for mental health or substance abuse situations will be met by a licensed social worker joining first responders “I’m excited for Parma to join with the county to bring this important program to our communities,” Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter said.The mayor pointed to the unique program’s success in Shaker Heights, South Euclid, Richmond Heights, University Heights and Cleveland Heights. While Parma City Council recently approved $100,000 toward the effort, Parma Heights is expected to add start-up funds with Ronayne seeking $3.5 million from the Opioid Mitigation Fund over the next half-decade to expand the program countywide. “As some residents continue to struggle daily with mental health concerns, it’s important that as mayor I help them by advocating for them,” Parma Heights Mayor Marie Gallo said. “This partnership is a really important way to be able to do that. I am grateful to partner with the county and Parma.” Parma Police Deputy Chief Kevin Riley described the program as a major paradigm shift in how mental health calls are handled in policing. “It’s transformational, a new frontier for us in the way we deliver policing services to people that are expressing mental health needs,” he said. “It’s going to bring the right responder to the right crisis at the exact right time. “This is going to be a great shift in the way we do things. It’s going to bring a lot of empathy in the way we do policing here. It’s going to meet the needs of our citizens, especially the ones suffering from a mental health crisis.” Not only will the licensed social worker co-respond at the scene, but they’ll also be responsible for a follow-up with the subject -- perhaps resulting in referrals to other social service agencies. Riley noted a recent analysis of calls found officers dispatched repeatedly to the same residents in crisis. “We’re going to the same house over and over again,” he said. “Obviously, our officers are trained to handle situations, to make sure there are no threats to life or anything like that, but they’re not really trained to solve the problem. “Hopefully, this gets the person in the right direction where they need to go on the road to recovery.” Parma Safety Director Bob Coury said the social worker will have their own case management and record management system to keep in touch with the person in need. “They’re going to remain on the case today, tomorrow, whatever it takes to be able to achieve a solution -- if any kind of solution is possible,” he said. “We’re looking to set up meetings within the next week with vendors, but I’d say implementation isn’t going to be for many months.”If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
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