The Community and Law Enforcement Collaboration Project Named a Mutual of America 2020 Community Partnership Award Winner

NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of America announced today that The Community and Law Enforcement Collaboration Project was named an honorable mention award recipient of its 2020 Community Partnership Award competition.

In 2013, the EMPACT-Suicide Prevention Center (EMPACT-SPC) created The Community and Law Enforcement Collaboration Project, which partners with the Phoenix and Tempe police departments to reduce the need for law enforcement to serve as frontline responders to mental health and substance abuse crises.

The program utilizes a holistic, integrated approach to improving public safety. Crisis mobile teams enable the transfer of noncriminal crises to behavioral health professionals, without any police involvement. Post-crisis navigators offer clients follow-up for 60 days as ongoing clinical services are put in place. First-responder wellness liaisons provide support to police officers facing behavioral health issues of their own.

"This groundbreaking partnership between behavioral health services and law enforcement is yielding clear results," said Dr. Dan Ranieri, CEO of La Frontera AZ, EMPACT-SPC's parent company. "Last year, our mobile teams responded to 7,500 calls, requesting law enforcement's presence less than four percent of the time. And nearly 80 percent of individuals served were successfully stabilized in the community, rather than being transported to a hospital or jail. This has enabled police officers to focus more time on keeping our communities safe."

"EMPACT-Suicide Prevention Center is honored to be one of the award winners for this year's Mutual of America Community Partnership Award," said Erica Chestnut-Ramirez, Regional Vice President of EMPACT. "This award will allow us to continue our plans for sustainability as the need for our services grows in our communities."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award
The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society.

"The impact of the Community Partnership Award can be seen every day through the remarkable contributions of the nonprofit organizations we've honored over the last 25 years," said John R. Greed, Mutual of America Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Since 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 245 partnerships from cities and towns across America. To watch videos of the national award-winning programs, visit the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award channel on YouTube.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement products, offering personalized service at a competitive price to help plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Mutual of America