The Colerain Township Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services won a national award for its unique approach to helping people into treatment.
The department will receive the Nicholas Rosecrans Award at the EMS Expo on Oct. 15 for its Quick Response Team. The team uses an all-hands-on-deck approach to get people with substance use disorders into recovery.
The QRT — a police officer, a firefighter/paramedic and an addiction counselor — respond to overdoses and follow up with the person to see if they’re ready for treatment. Since its inception in 2014, the program has a 70 percent success rate. The department’s team is so effective that other agencies across the country have replicated the concept.
Last year, Colerain Fire and EMS started the Safe Station Program, which offers round-the-clock resources to people with substance use disorders.