BHCore Well-being Advisory Board
Frontline responders experience high levels of behavioral health challenges as a result of secondary trauma on the job. To counteract the adverse effects of this trauma, it’s critical to provide an array of wellness offerings and behavioral health treatments to those who serve high-need individuals in our communities.
BHCore has created a well-being advisory board to assist with the development of trainings and interventions for frontline responders. We are currently creating a training program that prepares behavioral health professionals to deliver the clinical services unique to frontline responders. We are also adapting an evidence-based mindfulness and self-compassion intervention for frontline responders.
Advisory board members:
David Busz, Montesano Washington Fire Department
Kristin Cox, Seattle Washington Fire Department
Cassie Christopher, Everett Washington Police Department
John Gallup, Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority
Zach Gerdes, Washington State Patrol
Toryono Green, Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission
Andy McCurdy, City of Sumner Police Department
Jeff Myers, City of Hoquiam Police Chief (retired) and Kittitas County Fire Commissioner
Nicole Picknell, South County Fire Department
We thank all of our advisory board member for their valuable contributions.
Aligning Health and Safety Advisory Group on Co-Response
BHCore is pleased to announce its partnership with the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center as a part of its national Aligning Health and Safety initiative. This effort supports states harnessing local knowledge to transform public health and safety systems.
We are bringing together a workgroup of state policymakers and practitioners to support and expand co-response services in Washington state by:
- Developing strategies to financially sustain co-response in fire, EMS and police departments.
- Ensuring co-response efforts are well-integrated into mobile-crisis response and other 988-dispatched crisis teams.
- Strengthening the broader crisis system by aligning public safety and behavioral health.
The group will meet three times in 2025 with the goal of creating a toolkit for billing strategies that support existing co-response programs plus a list of recommendations for improving billing-integration practices. For more information about the BHCore/CSG partnership, go here.
Advisory board members:
Joe Avalos, Executive Director, Thurston Mason BH-ASO
Amy Barden, Chief, Seattle 911 Center/CARE
Brook Buettner, Executive Director, Regional Crisis Response Agency
Thea Byrd, Policy Advisory, Washington State Democratic Caucus
Jon Graziani, Division Chief, Puget Sound Fire
Kimberly Hendrickson, Co-Founder and Program Manager, BHCore
Mike Jackson, Fire Chief, Clark Cowlitz Fire & Rescue
Justin Johnson, Director, Spokane County Community Services
Anne Larsen, Deputy Program Director, Council for State Governments Justice Center
JanRose Ottaway Martin, Executive Director, North Sound BH-ASO
Kelly Richburg, Policy Advisor, Office of Attorney General Nick Brown
Lorretta Sackey, Program Manager, Council for State Governments Justice Center
Caitlin Safford, Policy Advisor, Office of Governor Bob Ferguson
Keith Sharp, Captain, South County Fire
Jennifer Stuber, Co-Founder and Executive Director, BHCore
Kelly Youngberg, University of Washington, Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute