ALBANY – A report from the University at Albany analyzing the first year of the Albany County Crisis Officials Responding and Diverting (ACCORD) pilot program has confirmed that an alternative emergency response to behavioral health crises is not only necessary in Albany County, but can effectively connect underserved communities with needed social services while reducing long-term reliance on emergency services.

On Friday, officials from the Albany County Legislature, County Executive, Sheriff’s Office, Department of Mental Health and University at Albany shared the findings from the year-long analysis of the ACCORD program, which was designed to improve outcomes for nonviolent emergency calls. Officials also provided an update regarding the process to expand the program into all municipalities throughout the County.

“Improving our approach to crisis intervention is critical to changing the stigma surrounding mental health and has always been the goal of the ACCORD Program. This report shows that we can effectively respond to nonviolent individuals in crisis with limited to no police involvement. The work done by the ACCORD team validates the feasibility of this approach and paves the way for the eventual expansion of ACCORD throughout Albany County, while allowing the police to redirect their focus to stopping crime and reducing violence,” said Albany County Legislature Chairman Andrew Joyce. “I want to thank Legislator Matt Peter for spearheading this effort back in 2020 and Sheriff Craig Apple and Dr. Giordano for working with us to make a successful program that will have a tremendous impact on our communities. We hope that this effort will spread and be implemented beyond our county borders.”

“More than ever, the health and well-being of our communities depends on the rapid and compassionate response to mental health crises wherever and whenever they occur.  ACCORD is proving itself to be a successful example of how innovative partnership can save lives.  Albany County has put its own unique stamp on alternative crisis response and the impact of pairing mental health and emergency medical professionals is exceeding expectations.  Expanding ACCORD into additional jurisdictions will only make our Albany County mental health system stronger and improve the overall health and well-being of our communities,” said Stephen J. Giordano, Ph.D., Albany County Mental Health Commissioner.

“In the short time the ACCORD program has been in operation the results have shown the need for more mental health staff supporting the needs of Law Enforcement,” said Sheriff Craig Apple.

The ACCORD program, officially launched by Albany County in the Hilltowns in June 2021, consists of two response teams made up of social workers from the County’s Mobile Crisis Team and paramedics from the Sheriff’s Office, who have been trained to handle situations involving mental health and nonviolent emergency cases where law enforcement is not essential.

As of June 2022, 240 emergency calls were diverted to the ACCORD team resulting in 549 total encounters with 210 different individuals with the majority of calls related to general medical assistance and services/transportation for those experiencing immediate mental health emergencies. In most cases, the ACCORD team was able to de-escalate the situation, assess the individual’s needs, and offer coping strategies and referral services for care. The team also followed up with the individuals and their families to offer continued support and additional services when necessary.

“We found that the ACCORD team was able to effectively resolve many low-priority medical and mental health emergency cases on the scene and to link patients and their family members to appropriate care and services when needed,” said Tomoko Udo, an associate professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management, and Behavior in UAlbany’s School of Public Health. “Stationing the team in Clarksville also helped the ACCORD program fill important service gaps, particularly in a community that traditionally lacks access to behavioral health and medical services.”

“Our evaluation highlights the importance of community-based programs and services, especially in mental health inpatient acute care settings,” said Professor Carmen Morano of UAlbany’s School of Social Welfare. “The availability and accessibility of long-term treatment is also an ongoing challenge, and it will be critical to fill these gaps to ensure the best outcomes.”

Recommendations to expand the ACCORD program call for a long-term investment that includes additional training and collaboration between police, local officials, mental health professionals and the community.

In December 2021, the County received a $350,000 investment from the NYS Legislature to help ACCORD expand into neighboring communities. Since then County officials along with the Sheriff’s Office and Mental Health have met with all municipalities in the County to discuss how they can implement ACCORD. The next step is to review their 911 dispatch calls to better understand the need for ACCORD in that particular community.

In addition, the Albany County Legislature is moving forward legislation to establish a Mind Your Health Training program, which would provide mental health first aid training to county employees who have hands-on interaction with the public. Employees who receive the training will learn to identify signs that a person is struggling with their mental health; how to interact with a person in crisis; how to connect that person with help; and expanded training on trauma, substance use, and self-care.

“The ACCORD pilot program as illustrated and audited by UAlbany’s independent research team’s report, was not only successful in its limited form, but shows great promise when it’s expanded Countywide. Preventative intervention with mental health professionals rather than law enforcement is showing not only a positive result for those in crisis but is demonstrating the potential for significant fiscal savings for the municipality. We must keep up this momentum and I’m pleased that every locality in the County is interested in being evaluated for ACCORD expansion,” said Albany County Legislator Matthew Peter. “I want to thank all those who helped move this forward, specifically Albany County Legislature Chairman Andrew Joyce, County Executive McCoy, Sheriff Apple, the Department of Mental Health, UAlbany and our state partners Assemblymembers McDonald and Fahy.”

“According to the Vera Institute, serious mental health issues were reported among an estimated 14.5% of men and 31% of women housed in jails in 2016, compared to 3.2% and 4.9% respectively among the general population. This shows that our system is broken and that we need a new path,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “This evaluation report conducted by our partners at the University at Albany shows that we are on the right path, ensuring we’re not simply criminalizing mental illness, but instead connecting those in crisis with critical programs and services. I’m hopeful that through this analysis, we can make ACCORD even better and expand it to even more county residents.”

The ACCORD pilot program evaluation report can be found at: www.albanycounty.com/legislature/accord2022.