The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is preparing to activate its Sheriff’s Community Outreach Utilization Team (SCOUT) after a year of collaboration with the Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administration and Olympic Health and Recovery Services.
The team will consist of four staff members from Olympic Health and Recovery Services that will be assigned directly to the sheriff’s office to provide services.
“SCOUT will work directly with our deputies in responding to all types of mental health and other service calls,” stated a news release.
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners approved the use of its treatment sales tax in January to fund the program.
The SCOUT members include Timothy Lewis, crisis services program supervisor, Billi Schmitt and Joshua Santiago, both of whom will be crisis clinicians, and Seth Gerken, a peer specialist.
The two person teams will consist of a crisis clinician and a peer specialist.
The members of SCOUT will do ride-alongs and meet the sheriff’s office’s staff over the next several months. They will then be deployed in their own vehicles to respond to calls as needed, stated the release.
“The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is grateful for our partnership with the Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administration and Olympic Health and Recovery Services,” stated the release. “We appreciate the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners and our community in supporting this program.”
