Salem’s new REACH co-response team handled 49 patient encounters in its first 30 days of operation, city officials told the Salem City Council on March 9, offering an early look at a pilot program designed to connect people in crisis with more appropriate care while easing pressure on fire and ambulance crews.
REACH, which stands for Rapid Engagement, Assessment, and Community Health, launched Jan. 20 as a six-month pilot under the city’s Clean and Healthy Salem initiative. The team pairs a Salem Fire paramedic and EMT with a Marion County mental health associate to respond to certain 911 calls involving medical needs, behavioral health crises, substance use and other complex social service issues.
In a presentation Monday night, Salem Fire Chief David Gerboth said the first month’s numbers suggest the program is helping the city use emergency resources more efficiently while reaching residents who often cycle repeatedly through the 911 system.
Of the 49 people served during the program’s first 18 service days, officials said roughly half of the calls were primarily medical and half involved mental health, substance use or service-related needs. Nearly 70% of contacts involved unhoused individuals, though the team also worked with housed residents considered at risk of homelessness.
One of the clearest early measures, officials said, was the program’s effect on strained emergency response units. Salem Fire reported that REACH prevented a fire engine from being dispatched 27 times during the period reviewed. In other cases where traditional units were already sent, the team relieved ambulances from 17 scenes and relieved engines from six scenes, allowing those crews to return to service sooner.
Gerboth said more than 60% of those freed-up resources were then sent directly to other calls, including emergencies outside the immediate pilot area. He argued that made the benefit citywide, not limited only to downtown, where the pilot is currently focused.
The program also recorded what city officials described as a significant shift in transport destinations. About one-quarter of transports in the first month went to alternatives to the emergency room, including the Marion County Behavioral Health Crisis Center and Northwest Human Services’ Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project. Gerboth said Salem Fire historically transported patients only to the emergency department, making the early diversion rate notable.
Councilors also focused on the team’s effect on frequent 911 callers. Officials said 34% of REACH calls involved high utilizers of the emergency system. In one case highlighted during the presentation, a person who had called 911 forty-six times in the prior month dropped to five calls after the team made proactive contact and connected that individual with services.
Councilors broadly praised the early results, with several describing the program as a needed alternative to sending police, fire or ambulance crews to situations better addressed through coordinated medical and behavioral health support.
Still, some key questions remain unresolved. Councilors pressed staff on how the city will measure return on investment, including the cost per patient and longer-term outcomes for people diverted away from the emergency room. Officials said those analyses are still being developed in coordination with Marion County and Salem Health.
Gerboth said the first month was focused heavily on building workflows and data systems while responding to 911 calls. The next phase, he said, will include more proactive engagement with frequent callers and vulnerable individuals before crises escalate.
Under the current plan, the team will remain focused on downtown Salem for three months before shifting to Northeast Salem, particularly the Lancaster corridor. City officials said the pilot does not currently have budget authority to expand beyond a single shift.