Press Release, July 11, 2022
As the nation struggles to create safer communities, Oklahoma is proud to celebrate being recognized as one of the top five states in the nation to have a statewide Handle With Care initiative. With the help of interagency collaboration, the state has grown from one pilot site to the capacity of reaching 87% of schools statewide in only four short years.
Handle With Care was started in West Virginia in 2013 to increase interagency trauma-informed communication between law enforcement, schools, behavioral health, and social services, so that children/youth exposed to a traumatic event can be connected with supports and resources, as needed.
In the HWC model, if a law enforcement officer encounters a child during a call, that child’s information is forwarded to the school before the school bell rings the next day. The school implements individual, class and whole school trauma-sensitive curricula so that traumatized children are “Handled With Care”. If a child needs more intervention, on-site trauma-focused mental healthcare is available at the school.
In 2018, after reading an article on the PACES Connection website, past Oklahoma Turning Point Council (OTPC) Chair, Adrienne B. Elder, suggested to then Oklahoma City Police Department’s Deputy Chief Paco Balderrama and Oklahoma City Public Schools, Director of Student Supports, Dr. Teri Bell, that Oklahoma should adopt a Handle With Care program. To spread awareness, they made over 15 presentations across the state, including the Sheriff Academy with Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association (OSA) and Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP). Local champions shared information to their community leaders and began implementation.
Believing in the power of collaboration for early intervention, Oklahoma Turning Point Council (OTPC) policy members, agency leaders, and statewide advocates participated in a 2019 Interim Study on Handle With Care at the Oklahoma Capitol. To advance the effort, Oklahoma Turning Point made its first official HWC investment to send an executive council member with 2 Public Health Institute of Oklahoma board members and 7 state agency leaders to the National HWC conference in October 2019. As communities expressed a need for a statewide effort, OTPC stepped up to the plate again to invest in a statewide HWC-OK website in 2020.
Over the past four years there have been over 35 counties showing interest and/or in the development phase of Handle With Care. OTPC with fiscal agent and managing partner, the Public Health Institute of Oklahoma (PHIO), PHIO staff, the HWC-OK Advisory Council, and key volunteers have been able to highlight grassroots efforts from Oklahoma communities at the annual OTPC conferences, build a statewide HWC-OK website, host monthly community support calls via zoom on the first Wednesday of the month, facilitate interagency collaboration meetings twice per month, organize learning communities 3-4 times per year, and provide technical support with training and implementation. In partnership with RAVE mobile safety software, the initiative is in the process of connecting with 87% of all schools statewide.
“The need for interagency collaboration is critical, whether it is Covid-response/recovery, school safety, or meeting the needs of children after a traumatic event. We are proud that Handle With Care OK is a simple tool that has many positive ripple effects in the community and among statewide agencies,” said HWC-OK co-founder and Past Chair of Oklahoma Turning Point Council, Adrienne Elder. “OTPC, PHIO and all the HWC-OK Advisory Council members should be very proud of being co-founders for the Oklahoma initiative and meeting the needs of communities across our state.”
At the beginning of 2022, Oklahoma was named a top 5 state in the nation in implementing HWC and was highlighted with the First Lady at the National Governor’s Association meeting in Washington D.C..As the foundation has been built and co-designed with communities, HWC OK has reached a threshold to take it to the next level with dedicated staff and resources.
Oklahoma Representative Ajay Pittman wants to advance the statewide effort by working with bipartisan colleagues, the appropriations committee, and first responders across the state. “The Handle With Care notification prevents children from falling through the cracks. We must advance interagency coordination, especially with straight-forward processes like Handle With Care.” Rep. Pittman worked with HWC OK leaders to submit an Interim Study application on July 1st, 2022 to discuss opportunities for legislation to further improve coordination.
Urban and rural law enforcement support advancing Handle With Care Oklahoma. Chief Gourley from Oklahoma City Police Department was one of the first agencies to have a policy in place. The “Chief’s Directive” required OCPD law enforcement to make a Handle With Care notification to the school district when a child/teen was at a traumatic scene.
Stillwater’s Lieutenant of Criminal Investigations, Cody Manuel, stated that “mandatory protocol on both ends are necessary to improve coordination between law enforcement and schools. Ultimately, HWC notifications increase citizen trust with law enforcement and creates a safer community.”
If interested in being a local or statewide champion, please login to our monthly zoom calls on the first Wednesday of the month from 10:00am – 11:00am. For more information, please visit https://handlewithcareok.org/ , click on events for zoom link and time.
- Oklahoma Turning Point Council (OTPC)
Celebrating 25 years, The Oklahoma Turning Point Council (OTPC) formed in 1997 to help transform public health in Oklahoma by working directly with community partnerships on health improvement initiatives. Rather than a top-down approach to public health, Turning Point seeks input from communities to help identify community priorities and implement local solutions. Over the years, Turning Point has partnered with communities all across Oklahoma to work on local innovations such as community health centers, extensive walking trails, community gardens, improved school health activities and advocacy for health improvement policies. Most recently, OTPC has championed Handle With Care OK to connect children with resources and support after a traumatic event. Moreover, OTPC continues as an independent statewide consortium focused on policy issues aimed at improving Oklahoma’s health.
- Public Health Institute of Oklahoma (PHIO)
The Public Health Institute of Oklahoma is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2004. We began out of partnership with the Oklahoma Turning Point Council having entered into by virtue of having a shared philosophy and vision: to create a greater outcome of a healthier Oklahoma. Our mission is to bridge government, academia, and communities in order to facilitate health improvement.
We serve as a neutral convener between health-related governmental agencies, academic programs and community level organizations including but not limited to healthcare providers, hospitals, mental health providers, education, business, faith-based organizations and tribes. PHIO fosters innovation, supports nonpartisan health advocacy and leverages resources in order to facilitate health improvement
PHIO is in partnership with the Oklahoma Turning Point Council and coalitions that are certified County Health Improvement Organizations (CHIOs) throughout the state. We are affiliated with the National Network of Public Health Institutes. We are a member of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits and our organization is recognized as having completed the Standards for Excellence course by the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. Our certification is valid from 2018 – 2023, and we can be found on the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits graduate page.