Almost two months into their co-responder role, the two experienced women staffing the new Mental Health Response Team housed at the Routt County Sheriff’s Office are already making a positive impact.

“The new clients who spoke to the co-responder support, they speak very highly of the support they are receiving,” said Paunita Muset, child welfare and adult protection supervisor at the Routt County Department of Human Services. “I have seen their work in practice, and it is impactful.”

The co-responder team established through a partnership with the sheriff’s office and UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center provides a specially trained officer — Sheriff’s Deputy Dawn Smith — and a partnering clinician, licensed clinical social worker Tracy Dierksen, who can respond as needed across Routt County including within Steamboat Springs.

The pair is dispatched through the 911 call center and on duty 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.

The team also follows up as needed for other law enforcement calls that occur when they are not on duty. The team also checks back with citizens they see on calls to make sure residents are getting connected to the services they need. The team works collaboratively with officers and dispatchers in the decision-making process if they should respond on a call, or they may be requested by law enforcement officers already at the scene.

Smith, who has worked at the sheriff’s office since March 2008, said she is “tickled” that “so far the interactions we have, I feel, have been highly successful in addressing people’s needs and helping resolve people’s problems.”

“This team represents a major step forward in how we respond to mental health crises,” Smith said. “We’re proud to offer compassionate, community-based support to those in need.”

Muset with human services called the program efficient, proactive, impactful and personalized.

“Clinicians provide immediate assessment and connect families to ongoing behavioral health care, case management or social services,” Muset said. “This early connection helps prevent repeat crises and supports long-term family well-being.”

The deputy and clinician team responds with other law enforcement officers but plays a specific role and stays longer on-scene on average for one-and-a-half to two hours, Smith said. That way, other law enforcement officers can return to other calls for service while the co-responder team stays to help residents with needs and connections.

Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar said deputies say they “are appreciative of that expertise showing up on some of these types of calls.”

The co-responders have completed a wide range of training related to crisis response and intervention, the autism spectrum, substance use, at-risk juveniles and mental health first aid.

After researching other co-responder models across the state for 18 months, the department settled on a model with one dedicated, specially trained deputy and one paired, embedded clinician. Dierksen works directly out of the sheriff’s office with Smith and even has her own newly arrived bulletproof vest with co-responder wording should the need to wear it arise.

“We want to stabilize individuals in crisis, divert them from unnecessary incarceration, connect them with essential services and hopefully reduce the amount of time patrol officers and deputies are spending on behavioral health calls,” Scherar said.

Smith was appointed a full-time mental health response deputy, so she does not respond to other sheriff’s calls. She currently arrives in deputy gear to convey the authority to assure citizens “you are not in trouble; no laws have been broken.” Then social worker Dierksen, who also worked as a registered nurse and a school nurse, steps in. Dierksen said her presence helps to soften the law enforcement on scene and acts as a buffer to calm and reassure citizens.

The co-responder team is on track to procure an unmarked vehicle through a federal Justice Assistance Grant, Scherar said, so that call response can be calming and low key.

Muset noted response by the new team reduces trauma for children and families, provides early intervention and connection to services, builds community trust and strengthens collaboration across systems.

“From a child welfare perspective, the co-responder team represents a vital shift in how the community approaches crisis intervention,” Muset said. “Rather than relying on arrest or hospitalization, the team focuses on de-escalation, safety and connecting to ongoing support.”

“When a behavioral health crisis occurs at home, traditional law enforcement responses can unintentionally increase fear or distress for children,” Muset said. “With a clinician on scene and an enforcement officer who is trained for this role, crises are handled calmly and therapeutically, reducing the emotional impact on both children and caregivers.”

Muset said families who receive compassionate, coordinated help during a crisis are more likely to reach out for future assistance.

“This trust helps strengthen the community safety net and reduces stigma around mental health challenges,” Muset said.