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Care unit report: alternative response program diverts roughly 1,900 emergency transports and expands outreach
Summary
City and Terrace Health officials told the Flagstaff City Council that the CARE alternative response unit has diverted roughly 1,900 transports from emergency rooms since 2022 and conducted more than 2,000 outreach contacts in 2024, while noting ongoing gaps in detox and treatment capacity.
City staff and Terrace Health updated the Flagstaff City Council on the CARE alternative response program on July 1, reporting the mobile unit has diverted an estimated 1,900 emergency department transports since service began in 2022 and completed more than 2,000 proactive outreach contacts in 2024.
Seth Greger, EMS battalion chief and CARE project manager, reviewed the program’s history and intent: to provide a non‑lights‑and‑sirens alternative for low‑acuity behavioral health and substance‑use calls, reduce arrests and emergency room usage, and provide proactive outreach in known hotspots. The unit operates with behavioral health specialists and (as of a recent contract amendment) EMTs provided by Terrace Health; fire department EMTs staffed the unit earlier in the program.
Terrace Health supervisors described operational metrics: CARE’s average response time was under 15 minutes (about 11–12 minutes in 2024) and the most common presenting issue on scene was substance use or intoxication (about 65–70% of calls). Outcome data for 2024 show a large proportion of cases ended with the individual “left in care of self” or transportation to shelter services; medical escalations and law enforcement involvement remain a small share of calls.
Staff and council discussed ongoing challenges, including data collection differences between Terrace and city records systems, limits in local detox and inpatient substance‑use treatment capacity, and how CARE’s impact depends on downstream service availability. Councilmembers and staff noted the program’s value but emphasized that additional wraparound services — notably a local detox facility and expanded shelter/treatment capacity — are needed to increase CARE’s effectiveness.
Terrace said it will start an ambassador program downtown to provide foot patrol outreach and business support; the city and Terrace agreed to evaluate hours and possible expansion of CARE as demand data, dispatch patterns and funding permit. Council asked for a follow‑up briefing in roughly six months to review the program post‑transition to Terrace EMT staffing and to share additional evaluation findings.
