Trending...
- How California Convinces Buyers Not to Purchase New Cars — and How This Hurts Dealers
- Lineus Medical Receives Patent for SafeBreak® Vascular Generation 2
- Titan Steel Buildings Expands Nationwide to Deliver Large Steel Warehouses and Industrial Facilities
Justin de Ruyter, Spokane Fire PIO, jderuyter@spokanecity.org
The Spokane Fire Department is pleased to announce the continued expansion of its Community Assistance Response Team (CARES) with the addition of a new social worker, who officially joined the team this week. This latest hire marks the final phase of a recent staffing initiative that welcomed two other social workers to the program. The expansion has been made possible through funding received from opioid lawsuit settlement dollars, reinforcing the City's commitment to addressing behavioral health and substance use challenges in the community.
Launched in 2008, CARES is the department's social response initiative to improve quality of life and reduce unnecessary EMS use by addressing social determinants of health. When EMS providers encounter individuals with needs beyond medical care, they refer them to the CARES Team. The team—usually social work students from Eastern Washington University—conducts home visits, assesses social service needs, and connects clients with community resources, advocating to ensure they receive necessary support.
More on Washingtoner
As demand for the team's services grows yearly, we are grateful for the additional staffing. With this expansion, the CARES Team will increase referrals following 911 responses to overdoses. The team will provide early intervention for individuals struggling with substance use disorders by connecting them to treatment resources and discussing harm reduction strategies. This added capacity will also allow the team to respond more frequently to requests from responding crews or provide same-day outreach, especially to unhoused individuals.
"The CARES Team plays a critical role in our efforts to help those impacted by the opioid crisis and struggling with substance use disorders," said Mayor Lisa Brown. "By expanding this team, we are increasing our case management capacity and investing in a model with proven positive results."
"We will be able to support the responding crews more and serve the most vulnerable populations in Spokane," said Sarah Foley, CARES Team Manager. "I love the work that I am doing with the CARES Team. Our team gets the opportunity to make a positive impact when people need help, and we get to work with an entire department dedicated to serving the community."
The Spokane Fire Department is pleased to announce the continued expansion of its Community Assistance Response Team (CARES) with the addition of a new social worker, who officially joined the team this week. This latest hire marks the final phase of a recent staffing initiative that welcomed two other social workers to the program. The expansion has been made possible through funding received from opioid lawsuit settlement dollars, reinforcing the City's commitment to addressing behavioral health and substance use challenges in the community.
Launched in 2008, CARES is the department's social response initiative to improve quality of life and reduce unnecessary EMS use by addressing social determinants of health. When EMS providers encounter individuals with needs beyond medical care, they refer them to the CARES Team. The team—usually social work students from Eastern Washington University—conducts home visits, assesses social service needs, and connects clients with community resources, advocating to ensure they receive necessary support.
More on Washingtoner
- Liquidity Aggregation: US-Registered JHKXWL Integrates AI Analytics for Brazilian and Global Institutional Traders
- Q4 2025 Outlook: JGCMGS Unveils High-Frequency Infrastructure for Italian and Global Markets
- UK Financial Ltd Announces Full Ecosystem To Erc-3643 "SEC-Ready" Tokens For All UK Financial Ltd Tokenized Projects
- Pushing the Wave Series Launches Premium Hardback Editions of 2017–2022 and 2023 Volumes
- ZEELOOL 2025 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Big Deals
As demand for the team's services grows yearly, we are grateful for the additional staffing. With this expansion, the CARES Team will increase referrals following 911 responses to overdoses. The team will provide early intervention for individuals struggling with substance use disorders by connecting them to treatment resources and discussing harm reduction strategies. This added capacity will also allow the team to respond more frequently to requests from responding crews or provide same-day outreach, especially to unhoused individuals.
"The CARES Team plays a critical role in our efforts to help those impacted by the opioid crisis and struggling with substance use disorders," said Mayor Lisa Brown. "By expanding this team, we are increasing our case management capacity and investing in a model with proven positive results."
"We will be able to support the responding crews more and serve the most vulnerable populations in Spokane," said Sarah Foley, CARES Team Manager. "I love the work that I am doing with the CARES Team. Our team gets the opportunity to make a positive impact when people need help, and we get to work with an entire department dedicated to serving the community."
0 Comments
Latest on Washingtoner
- City of Spokane Funds 50 New Shelter Beds, Mobile Medication Assisted Treatment Services
- Rio Bela Cosmetics Launches Inclusive Line of Organic Skincare Products
- The 7 Visibility Problems Costing Independent Hotels Thousands Every Month
- Viola's Babygirl's, LLC Proudly Announces Teri Tobin's Soulful New Christmas EP "Home For The Holidays"
- Stoxtel Introduces High-Throughput "Matrix" Engine to Address Mexico's Crypto Trading Volatility
- UK Financial Ltd Sets Listing Date With Catex Exchange For The Listing Of Mayacat The World's First Ever Gold Backed ERC 3643 "SEC Ready" Token
- Cyntexa Announces Updates to ChargeOn on Salesforce AppExchange
- Althea Gibson Honored as Final Release in U.S. Mint's American Women Quarters Program
- Lokal Media House Achieves Yelp Platinum Partner Status
- Carrington College in Spokane Announces New Campus Director
- World's First AI-Native Industrial Facility is Under Construction by Carbon AMS with rhobot.ai
- $57 Billion U.S. Marine Industry Presents Major Growth Opportunity for Newly Public Off The Hook Yacht Sales, Inc. (N Y S E: OTH)
- Dr. Alexander Eastman Returns to Suburban Hospital to Deliver Keynote on Crisis Leadership
- Spokane City Council Votes on Modification For 2026 City Budget
- Spokane: Council Approves New Transportation Tax on Commercial Parking
- Scoop Social Co.'s Mobile Dessert Truck Business Offer A Lifestyle Of Flavor, Fun, and Freedom
- Own 327 Acres of American Prime Real Estate with 2 Miles Waterfront Worth In Millions for Just $7 — Worldwide Raffle Launched
- Lakefront Acreage in Longwood's Ravensbrook Community Hits the Market
- Monika Balayan Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
- Spokane: Stuff Green Carts with Food and Yard Waste