FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phoenix, Arizona, [November 12, 2019] – Centerpoint for Hope, a program of Crisis Response Network, will mark its first year anniversary with the Centerpoint for Hope Celebration event 7:30-9:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 13, 2019, at Warehouse 215@Bentley Projects, 215 E. Grant St. in Phoenix.
Speakers will include Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, Rusty Bowers. Other state leaders confirmed to attend include State Senate Minority Leader David Bradley and Senators Lela Alston and Andrea Dalessandro, House Minority Whip Reginald Bolding, Jr., and Representatives Jay Lawrence and Aaron Lieberman.
Following a brief program and a complimentary breakfast, attendees and the media are invited to tour the Centerpoint for Hope Tragedy Response Vehicle (TRV) which is a customized mobile coordination center (for first responders or others) that features satellite connection, Wi-Fi internet hotspot, cell phone and computer charging stations, private meeting areas and more. With an onboard generator, the TRV can operate for 72 hours without additional support to serve as a vessel of care to allow behavioral health services, resource navigation, or basic public health functions to be facilitated anywhere.
Centerpoint is a non-profit organization dedicated to working in partnership with first responders, local communities, government and health service providers to support disaster readiness, response and recovery services to communities.
A current example of service is the Mobilize AZ project, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, which offers free mobile outreach clinics staged across the state to provide health testing, connections to local community resources, and free naloxone in response to the opioid crisis. The goal is to meet individual needs, reducing overdoses and increasing access to care for positive health outcomes.
In addition, following a successful pilot program, a partnership was established with the Phoenix Police Department to provide the TRV as a mobile vessel for officer support at officer-involved shootings and other critical incidents affecting the community.
“Centerpoint for Hope has been a wonderful addition to the continuum of health care services offered by Crisis Response Network and we are thrilled that it has been so successful in its first year of operation. Our plans are to grow the program throughout Arizona and beyond,” said Justin Chase, President and CEO of Crisis Response Network.
Centerpoint for Hope has staff trained in emergency management and the TRV is on-call for statewide deployment which can be coordinated through Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), state and county emergency management, and public safety agencies. Centerpoint can also be contacted directly.
Centerpoint for Hope also is available for other organizations to utilize and contract for on-call capabilities for their own incident response plans and other “blue sky” (non-emergency) projects such as employee assistance and wellness programs, organizational trainings, as a mobile command post, etc.