Awards

The TML Risk Pool’s Partnership Award

The TML Risk Pool’s Partnership Award is presented to members who meet certain criteria and exhibit exemplary service to their communities, strengthen the bond between Pool Members, and espouse the Core Values of Integrity, Public Service, Fiscal Responsibility, and Operational Excellence.

City of Laredo opioid Overdose Prevention Efforts

The TML Risk Pool recognizes the City of Laredo for its drug overdose prevention and response efforts. In 2008, the City Council created the Laredo Drug and Alcohol Commission, which includes members from the City and Webb County, and which has the following mission statement:

To create awareness policies and services that will serve youth, adults and families in need of alcohol and drug abuse prevention.

• Created a Resource Directory for Substance Use Services.
• Established the Recovering Our Opportunities Through Strength (ROOTS) Detoxification and Recovery Facility, which is the first facility of its kind in Laredo. (Those seeking similar services in the past had to travel over 150 miles to get them.)
• Provided educational awareness for drug and alcohol prevention through a Facebook page.
• Developed a standing coalition of providers to advocate for substance use awareness.

The City also supports a local nonprofit called “People with Ideas of Love, Liberty, Acceptance, and Respect (PILLAR),” which has — among many other things — installed “harm reduction vending machines” throughout the city. The machines contain free Narcan, Fentanyl tests, and personal hygiene kits.

Laredo Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez said this is all part of their task force initiative that started in 2022. This task force combined several local, state, and federal agencies to help prevent deaths.

The Partnership Award recognizes members for their performance, and satisfying at least these three criteria bears out the City of Laredo’s worthiness for the Award:

• Significant contribution or service to the community or the Risk Pool: The City’s efforts help prevent and respond to opioid and other addictions and drug overdoses are designed to stop drug addiction before it begins and respond to those in need, including a GIS map of the number and location of overdoses, as well as a map showing public access Narcan vending machine locations.
• Exhibits one or more of TMLIRP’s Core Values: The Laredo Fire, Health, and Police Departments established the “Overdose Think Tank” comprised of representatives from various agencies and organizations across the city of Laredo to convene periodic meetings to tap into the expertise and perspectives of valued partners. This exhibits the Core Value of Operational Excellence.
• Creating resources that may be utilized by other members to address exposures: The City’s actions can be replicated by others to address alcohol and drug problems. A PowerPoint presentation shows some of the City’s efforts, which include the following:

1. The Laredo Fire Department established an Opioid Response Team to conduct follow-ups on suspected overdose 911 calls and provide community outreach to local schools.
2. The “Overdose: One Word. Many Lives.” And “Streetguard” campaign brings awareness about overdose, substance abuse, and mental health.
3. A “One Pill Can Kill” Townhall Meeting, in which the Drug Enforcement Administration and the City co-hosted a meeting to address the rising number of fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths in Laredo. The event aimed to raise awareness, provide education, and mobilize community action in response to the alarming increase in overdose/poisoning deaths related to fentanyl.

City of Grand Prairie Police Department's Crisis Support Unit

The Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool is recognizing the efforts of the City of Grand Prairie Police Department to provide mental health resources for citizens in need. The Department’s Crisis Support Unit (CSU) consists of two licensed mental health clinicians and two police officers.

Through collaborative community relationships and intensive training, CSU improves communication, identifies mental health resources for those in crisis, and ensures officer and community safety.

When police are dispatched to a call that includes a mental health concern, the CSU also responds. A clinician will arrive on-site to help with de-escalation measures if necessary. The clinician then evaluates whether the person should go to a mental health facility in lieu of jail. The goal is to divert people with mental health issues away from jail and into treatment. The City’s homeless population is a frequent beneficiary of the service. The CSU follows up the same week to check on the citizen and provide support if needed.

In January 2022 alone, the CSU performed 200 follow-ups.

In addition to on-scene evaluations and follow-ups, the CSU provides training to officers on crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, and other specialized areas of mental health, with the goal of teaching officers to independently interact with persons in crisis. Please view the CSU’s webpage for further information on the program.

City of DeSoto: COVID-19 Vaccines

City of Desoto, Texas, staff stepped up to help elderly and other residents navigate the COVID-19 vaccination process. In February 2021, when the vaccine rollouts began, DeSoto city staff recognized that its residents needed help, especially its elderly African-American residents.

Desoto is in Dallas County, and the county’s registration process — when it first began in February 2021 — was only done online. That made it difficult for many older residents, especially those in poorer communities.

Dianca McGhee, the DeSoto senior center’s manager, took action to help. She published vaccination details in the center’s weekly printed newsletter, which is delivered by workers along with hot meals to homebound seniors. And she offered her staff to help any senior get who didn’t have the technical skills or internet access get registered.

On any given day, four or five senior center employees stood ready in a makeshift call center to register anyone over the phone. They also hosted a sign-up event at the senior center.

Up the street at the city’s library, all 15 librarians were trained to enroll residents in person or over the phone. These contributions align with the Pool’s Core Values of Integrity, Public Service, Fiscal Responsibility, and Operational Excellence.

The Pool proudly presented the award to the City at the Texas Municipal League Annual Conference and Exhibition in Houston on October 7, 2021.

City of Austin Police Department: Treating PTSI in First Responders

A partnership is a chain. A single link does no good in keeping the coyotes out of the chicken coop or marking a Friday night first down, and it takes each unit working harmoniously under tension to drag an axle-deep pickup truck out of East Texas clay. Celebrating the strong links is long overdue. It is with great pride that TMLIRP presents the inaugural Partnership Award to the Austin Police Department for its tireless approach to treating Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries (PTSI) in first responders. 

PTSI: Defining the Problem

PTSI affects nearly 8 million Americans on an annual basis, many of whom call the Lone Star State home. Due to the nature of their various backgrounds and the chronic stress and trauma experienced in their line of work, first responders are particularly susceptible to a litany of deleterious physical problems like poor sleep and weight gain. Left untreated, PTSI can result in anger management issues, substance abuse, divorce and even suicide.

But behind every badge, there’s a son or daughter. Behind every stoic facade there’s a volunteer t-ball coach, a BBQ whiz or someone with a tall fishing tale. Those suffering from PTSI are often people at their very finest, struggling in silence. APD Chaplain Rick Randal has seen the devastating effect PTSI has on families and communities, and he isn’t content to allow first responders to become another statistic.

“I’ve done seven funerals in my 22 years with APD,” Rick recalls solemnly. “When we started digging deeper, we noticed that we give our guys tools like a vest and a gun, but that doesn’t protect their minds or their spirits. I was doing classes on negotiating with tough supervisors and dealing with day-to-day stress, but then we started asking the bigger questions about cumulative mental trauma.”

A Passion for Outreach

From there, the problem was more clearly defined, and by partnering with TMLIRP, APD began developing relationships and establishing a network of concerned communities, united in their commitment to first responder outreach. Rick has also led nearly 30 Resiliency Strategies for First Responders courses all over the state.

“It’s been revolutionary to connect therapists and risk management professionals in a strategic partnership, all with the same goal of getting people treatment early so this isn’t a lifelong debilitating situation,” Rick says. “I’m blessed because working with officers and their families is my passion. That’s why I’m still doing this at 68 — until I go horizontal.”

Concerned advocates have their work cut out for them. It’s estimated that 30 to 40% of first responders suffer from PTSI, and frankly, there just aren’t enough Rick Randals to go around. However, by leveraging APD’s experience with TMLIRP resources, and embracing cutting-edge treatment methodology, the future of PTSI treatment for first responders in the state of Texas looks promising.