The City of Menomonie, Wisconsin in Dunn County has selected Cordata, a software company that provides solutions to better support at-risk populations, as its technology partner for Project Hope, a youth and adult deflection and diversion initiative that was built to address the growing methamphetamine and opioid drug crisis. Cordata will provide case management software and on-the-ground assistance that will empower teams to expand their reach and better support the individuals they serve.
“Our partnership with Cordata gives community stakeholders the necessary tools to ensure no one person with a substance use disorder is forgotten in the delivery of wraparound services,” said Eric Atkinson, City Administrator and former Menomonie Police Chief.
Project Hope is an evidence-based, collaborative effort that was designed on four strategic pillars: prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and enforcement. In August 2020, Project Hope launched phase one with a program in the city’s schools that aimed to make a positive difference in the lives of at-risk youth. In the first two years of the program, Dunn County saw a reduction of 75 percent in youth being referred to the juvenile justice system for criminal activity.
In February 2023, Project Hope expanded its services with the implementation of the Quick Response Team (QRT) and Angels of Red Cedar (ARC) initiatives. The QRT connects individuals to treatment and provides services to help them overcome barriers to a healthier life, while the ARC is a self-referral initiative that provides a safe space for individuals to seek help without the fear of incarceration.
“To have a brighter future we need to take an innovative approach to assisting persons with substance use disorders,” shared Mayor Randy Knaack. “The Project Hope initiative creates pathways to treatment for both at-risk youth and adults versus impacting them through the criminal justice system.”
During the initial phase of Project Hope, team members used spreadsheets and hand-written notes to communicate and track the youth they served. This was causing barriers, delays, and frustrations among the team. They also had no information on the youths’ histories and therefore could not effectively evaluate their needs or see how progress was made.
Before launching the QRT and ARC, the Menomonie team contacted Cordata to learn how the technology could be leveraged to facilitate the new initiatives and how to avoid the challenges they faced with the youth program. They soon discovered that the highly configurable platform offered a variety of comprehensive tools for collecting and managing data, which could be applied to all the programs belonging to Project Hope, including the youth initiative. The Cordata team quickly built tools specifically for Project Hope and the team began deploying the technology in October 2022 as they prepared for the larger rollout in February.
“It is a privilege to partner with Project Hope and the City of Menomonie,” said Nicole Jenkins, COSSAP Project Coordinator at Cordata. This team holds a deep passion for helping individuals in need and the safety of their community. Through this partnership, we hope to enhance the impactful work being done and truly show the importance of programs like those in Dunn County.”
In addition to the partnership with Cordata, Project Hope team members also received specialized training from O2SL and QRT National, an organization that helps teams effectively assist the individuals they serve. The partnership with Cordata and O2SL and QRT National, along with collaborative efforts already in place between community stakeholders in Menomonie, will ensure that Project Hope will have a positive and lasting impact on the residents of Dunn County.
“As soon as we met the Menomonie, WI Chief of Police, Eric Atkinson, we knew that the city was ready to collaborate and that the depth of community partnerships offered a chance to move ahead their timeline of progressive response services,” shared Dan Meloy, Director of Operations at O2SL and QRT National. “The City of Menomonie is an example for other cities, of how working together can enhance services within a community.”
About Cordata
Cordata Healthcare Innovations is a Software as a Service (SaaS) company connecting communities and healthcare organizations to better serve at-risk populations by coordinating treatment and community resources. Cordata’s core technology platform provides specific solutions that improve outcomes for patients with complex diseases, individuals battling addiction or mental illness, and children in foster care. More information can be found at cordatahealth.com.
About Project Hope
The Project Hope initiative was created to reduce the impact substance use disorders have on the quality of life and crime in a community. Project Hope employs evidence-based strategies to provide people opportunities for treatment, and reduce the stigma of addiction. More information can be found at menomonie-pd.com/project-hope.
About O2SL & QRT National
Operation 2 Save Lives & QRT National provides a one-stop solution to address substance use disorders and behavioral health issues through shared community responses. We help create collaborative partnerships that include law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies, public health, behavioral health, recovery, and community organizations working to connect vulnerable populations, their family members, and loved ones to treatment, support services, and long-term recovery. Learn more at o2sl.com.