Oak Park reports 181 referrals for ECHO alternative response in first five months; staff urges expanded capacity

Vanessa Matheny, community services administrator for the Village of Oak Park, gave the Village Board an interim report on ECHO, the village’s alternative call‑response and care‑coordination pilot. Matheny said the program — approved by the board on June 11, 2024 — moved from planning into service in January–February 2025 and has since handled 181 unique referrals.

Matheny described ECHO as a person‑centered care navigation team that includes one program manager, two care coordinators and three community service officers embedded with the Oak Park Police Department. “This presentation will provide an overview of the work we’ve accomplished during phase 1, share measurable impacts in the community, and highlight how ECHO has supported residents in crisis, reduce the burden on emergency services, and strengthen collaboration between community partners and our police and fire departments,” she said.

Nut graf: Staff told trustees that ECHO is responding to a mix of mental‑health, housing and other social needs, that most referrals are not one‑dimensional, and that early results show reductions in repeat crisis calls when care coordination is available — but the workload per case is high and the program needs sustained staffing, data systems and partner agreements to scale.

Matheny said ECHO’s referrals came from multiple sources: walk‑ins to Village Hall (the largest single source), 48 referrals from the fire department, 40 from police, 24 from village departments (code enforcement, parking, public works), and smaller numbers from businesses, nonprofits and schools. She said care coordinators aim to make initial contact within 48 hours for most referrals and to respond within 15 minutes for urgent, in‑business‑hours referrals. When contact cannot be made, staff continue outreach for three days and eventually send a program letter.

Matheny provided case examples the team has handled: follow‑up on a nonviolent youth behavioral concern with referrals to local counseling and youth programming; coordination with the VA and Oak Park Township Senior Services after a senior with dementia wandered; and a self‑referral that led to emergency shelter and multi‑agency rehousing and family reunification. Matheny said many referrals reveal multiple needs — for example, housing instability together with food insecurity or unmanaged medical care — and that care coordinators “build relationships, coordinate services, and walk alongside residents as they navigate” multiple systems.

Kira Chang, assistant village manager and HR director, said phase 1 is focused on care coordination rather than direct 911 diversion. Chang explained that the village still receives 911 calls and that a later phase could include direct dispatch of alternative responders through 911, which would substantially increase referral volume.

Chief Johnson and Fire Chief Terry told trustees they have seen fewer repeat crisis calls where care coordinators engaged residents early and connected them to services. “We actually see success when we don't see the same residents again,” Chief Johnson said, noting that some individuals who previously generated multiple calls are not returning to emergency services after ECHO intervention.

Trustees and staff discussed program capacity and tools. Matheny estimated staff spend about 12–15 hours on a complex referral (outreach, partner coordination, transportation and documentation) and said the team logged roughly 2,500–2,700 staff hours over five months. She said some data currently live in Google tools and that staff are evaluating case‑management software to replace spreadsheets and better track outcomes. Trustees urged stronger outreach to residents, businesses and schools to raise awareness and asked about faster lines for residents who present in‑person; Matheny described a workflow that lets Village Hall and welcome‑center staff direct walk‑ins to ECHO for immediate coordination.

Board members also discussed data‑sharing and interoperability with township and nonprofit partners. Matheny said the program uses existing referral lists and coordinates with Housing Forward and street outreach teams; she and other staff said Hub Health Connection (a previously used shared client record portal) had limited adoption locally and that the village will pursue intergovernmental options and partner buy‑in before committing to a single shared platform.

Trustees repeatedly pressed staff about scale: the Barry Dunn study previously estimated a large share of social‑service‑driven calls might be appropriate for alternative response, and trustees asked how the village will build trust with police and fire to increase referrals. Matheny and Chang said weekly reports to first responders and regular joint outreach have increased referrals from public safety and that growing awareness is producing more walk‑ins from residents.

Ending: Matheny said staff will return with recommendations on staffing, software and performance metrics. Trustees thanked Matheny and the chiefs for the update and urged continued emphasis on measurable outcomes and partner integration as the village considers expanding ECHO’s hours and scope.