We are proud to announce a joint partnership between Families Against Narcotics (FAN) and the Chesterfield Township Department of Public Safety with the creation of a new COMEBACK Quick Response Team
The COMEBACK initiative is a compassionate effort to support community members whose lives have been affected by substance use. The Quick Response Team (QRT) is a specialized unit consisting of a plainclothes police officer, certified peer recovery coach, and family recovery coach. This dedicated team conducts visits to people in the community who have survived a non-fatal overdose or had contact with first responders as a result of their substance use.
The primary goal of the QRT is to establish contact with the individual. The team will meet the person and their family where they’re at, offering compassion and support while facilitating access to harm-reduction resources, peer support services, case management, and other recovery services. Additionally, they connect individuals and their families with valuable community resources.
Since its inception in February of 2020, FAN’s COMEBACK QRT initiative has continued to expand and will now be operating out of the following police departments across the state: Sterling Heights, Roseville, Midland, Saginaw, Ferndale, Waterford, Bay City, Allen Park, Berkley, Madison Heights, Gaylord, Grayling, Troy, Oak Park, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Center Line, Keego Harbor, City of Wayne, Royal Oak, and Chesterfield Township.
FAN and their collaborating agencies are out to prove that when it comes to the disease of addiction, compassion truly is greater than stigma.
Chesterfield Township Director of Public Safety Brian Bassett is looking forward to having a COMEBACK QRT working out of his department. “We recognize the significance of the opioid epidemic and are committed to assisting the individuals and families in our community that have been impacted by this crisis,” he declared. “Partnering with Families Against Narcotics and their COMEBACK Quick Response Team gives our first responders additional resources to support those struggling with addiction. Community-based recovery programs have been proven to help break the cycle of addiction and we look forward to having these resources available to our community.”
Erin Whitkopf, Program Director for the COMEBACK QRT, is also excited about Chesterfield’s participation. “FAN has a longstanding partnership with the Chesterfield Township Department of Public Safety through our self-referral program, Hope Not Handcuffs,” she noted. “With the introduction of QRT, we are expanding our services to reach people who have been affected by substance use but may not know how to seek out the help they deserve. We are bringing resources right to their doorsteps because we’re dedicated to supporting the community as a whole.”
Whitkopf added that FAN collaborates with their public safety partners by “providing them with tools to better support the people they serve. We appreciate the commitment of officers who recognize the importance of this type of outreach and are actively invested in the well-being of everyone in their community.”
Chesterfield Township will be the fourth law enforcement agency in Macomb County to have a COMEBACK Quick Response Team.
Please join us for this press conference to learn more about this new partnership. Speakers will include Director Bassett from the Chesterfield Township Department of Public Safety, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido, and Dunya Barash, Director of Operations for Families Against Narcotics.
You can download the Media Advisory PDF by clicking here.
