# Investing in Wellness: Bellingham's Groundbreaking Programs Supporting Officers and Community In a windowless room in City Hall on the afternoon of March 24, 2025, the Bellingham City Council's Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee gathered to hear two presentations that would showcase the city as a national leader in innovative public safety approaches. What unfolded was a portrait of a community that has chosen to invest deeply in the mental health and well-being of both its first responders and its most vulnerable residents. ## Meeting Overview Committee Chair Daniel Hammill called the meeting to order at 1:00 PM with committee members Edwin "Skip" Williams and Michael Lilliquist present. Also attending were Mayor Kim Lund and Council President Hannah Stone, signaling the importance city leadership places on these programs. The agenda was focused but weighty: an overview of the Bellingham Police Department's innovative wellness program, followed by an update on the GRACE program — a revolutionary approach to helping frequent emergency service users. From the outset, Hammill acknowledged the significance of what they were about to discuss, though he also noted time constraints that would require keeping the presentations focused. What emerged over the next hour and ten minutes was testimony to programs that are literally saving lives while setting new standards for what progressive public safety can look like. ## The Police Wellness Revolution: Breaking Down the Warrior Culture Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig introduced Dr. Michael Earley, a clinical psychologist whose work with the Bellingham Police Department since June 2022 has fundamentally transformed the agency's approach to officer mental health. What began as a conversation between Earley and Mayor Lund about the groundbreaking work happening within the department had evolved into a comprehensive wellness program that other agencies across Washington State are now seeking to emulate. Dr. Earley, who co-founded Breakthrough Psychology with his wife Katie, took the podium with a quiet pride that would become evident throughout his presentation. His journey to embedded police mental health work began somewhat accidentally in 2015 when he started his private practice in Anacortes. A phone call from a departing psychologist led to his first training with Bellingham PD in 2018 on work-life balance and workplace trauma. By 2020, after delivering a second training, Earley was approached by department leadership with an unprecedented offer: become the first ever embedded mental health provider for the Bellingham Police Department. "I had been sitting by myself in a chair for a long time in an office. I was pretty bored and really excited about this idea," Earley recalled, describing how the role "began a kind of radical transformation of my clinical career." What started as informal ride-alongs and lunch meetings with detectives has expanded into a comprehensive program with ten different facets. The transformation reflects a fundamental shift in how law enforcement approaches officer wellness — moving from the old model where showing emotional vulnerability could end a career to one where seeking help is seen as a sign of strength and professionalism. The scope of need became clear through stark statistics Earley shared: while the average person experiences 2-3 critical or traumatic incidents in their lifetime, peace officers experience about 186 such incidents during their careers. Even more sobering, peace officers die by suicide at a rate 3-8 times higher than their rate of death in the line of duty, with one officer dying by suicide every 17 hours nationally. The program's core components include a peer support team with the same level of privileged confidential communication as attorney-client privilege, a vetted provider team of 12 therapists who have all done ride-alongs and understand police work, chaplain services, informal wellness check-ins, and innovative approaches like unlimited access to classes at the Bellingham Yoga Collective and grief workshops conducted during Mount Baker climbs. Perhaps most impressively, Earley has secured nearly $400,000 in grant funding across three years from the Criminal Justice Training Commission, though he expressed concern about the sustainability of this funding source. "I think that we are the single most progressive mental health, physical health, spiritual health program in the state of Washington," he said, noting that friends in the Puget Sound area confirm Bellingham is "way ahead of the curve." The program's impact is measurable. When Earley started, two-thirds of the agency said the wellness program had done nothing to improve their mental health or job satisfaction. Eighteen months later, that number had dropped to less than 32 percent — a nearly 50 percent decrease in negative responses. ## Personal Testimonies: The Human Impact Officer Elizabeth Mara, a six-year veteran who started her law enforcement journey at age 13 in an explorer program, provided a deeply personal perspective on how the wellness program has changed the culture of the department. Coming from a family of first responders, she had witnessed firsthand the toll the job can take — including a mentor who died by suicide and the emotional drain of shift work and traumatic calls. "I came here during COVID, and there was a lot of uncertainty in law enforcement across the nation," Mara recalled. "Almost everyone that I spoke to that was leaving the field said, 'Are you sure you still want to work in this job?'" The wellness program, which began about a year after she was hired, brought stability and cultural change. "I felt the culture shift here at the Bellingham Police Department. There's been more togetherness, more vulnerability. There's been more focus on family, taking care of your mind and your body." Mara's testimony was particularly powerful as she described how the program helps officers process traumatic calls: "I've struggled with calls I've been to where I have nightmares. And that scene is playing over and over in my head. And so now, when I'm back in my car and I'm responding to these other calls that are unrelated, I'm thinking that the outcome might be the same and I'm doing things that are maybe unsafe." Therapy through the program has helped her work through incidents and maintain clarity for subsequent calls. She also noted practical elements like nutrition and sleep guidance that help officers show up more present for their work. Officer Tyson Elmendorf, approaching 30 years with the department, provided historical context that made the transformation even more striking. He described an era when showing mental health effects from trauma was seen as a career-ending weakness: "It was definitely a measurement in determining who made it and who did not make it through field training. Trauma calls were encouraged to be blocked out of memories by drinking copious amounts of cheap beer together after the shift." He painted a vivid picture of the old culture: "Those were the cops making pictures of beer with their frittata at seven o'clock in the morning, using that as a coping mechanism to block out the calls from the night before." Elmendorf witnessed officers having duty weapons taken away due to perceived mental breakdowns, terminations, and suicide attempts. The threat of fitness-for-duty exams that could end careers made officers reluctant to seek help or report colleagues who were struggling. Now serving as the department's recruiting officer, Elmendorf sees the wellness program as a crucial competitive advantage. "Agencies in Western Washington are battling for top shelf talent to join their agency over another. I often recruit against Bellevue, Redmond, or Everett, who on paper may have a more lucrative contract signing bonuses or other perks. Having an onboard psychologist, vetted providers, strong peer support team, and a wellness team have been and continue to be what pushes candidates to come to Bellingham." He shared two recent examples that underscored the program's importance. One lateral officer from an East Coast agency had witnessed a juvenile's suicide attempt and tried three times to reach a therapist, only to be referred to an automated phone tree with no human contact. Another candidate from a Rocky Mountain agency had experienced two academy classmate suicides, including one who took his life in the department parking lot the day before the interview. "Officers need help afforded them by a robust wellness program that is sustainable long-term," Elmendorf emphasized, noting that a Western Washington agency of similar size currently has over 20 officers medically retired on PTSD claims. ## Council Response: Strong Support for Innovation The council's response was overwhelmingly positive, with members clearly moved by what they had heard. Council Member Williams focused on how officer wellness translates to better community safety: "I have to imagine that this emotional wellness makes it so that an officer is less likely to misjudge a situation, and more likely to be resilient and centered so that those emotions are proportionate to the situation rather than disproportionate." Dr. Earley responded by describing a new policy being developed that would automatically remove officers from the road for at least 30 minutes after certain traumatic calls — not to fix anything in that brief time, but to create an opportunity for peer support contact and supervisor assessment. "What I'm learning is for most people it's not the call itself that's the challenge, it's the next call," Earley explained. "So you go to that call and you do chest compressions on a child and then you get back in the car and you're supposed to go to Target because someone stole a TV." Council Member Williams, drawing from his background in education, emphasized the importance of such support in any profession dealing with people: "What your program does is very, very important because any profession where you have to deal with other people, particularly at the level that the police department has to deal with, we all need that help." Committee Chair Hammill was particularly vocal in his support, describing the difference between Bellingham's department and others along the I-5 corridor: "It's programs like this, and it's officers like you, and a chief like this. That's the difference." He also made clear his commitment to funding: "I could only speak for myself, but if the grants dry up, I don't think at least one vote here would find it a difficult decision to continue supporting the funding for this. The well-being of our city staff and how that translates into the services — it's really a no-brainer that this is successful and it needs to be supported." Mayor Lund expressed her gratitude and long-anticipated excitement about the presentation: "When we talk about setting the bar high for expectations for the city, and how do we realize that standard of excellence, this is what support for excellence in community policing looks like — it's a foundational investment in our officers and a critical investment in Bellingham." Council President Stone noted the cultural shift represented by officers using the program: "It used to be considered a weakness to go to therapy and I think it's really amazing that not only is this program being used but it's really being seen as a strength to ask for help in your job." ## The GRACE Program: Revolutionary Intervention for Vulnerable Residents The meeting's second half focused on the GRACE program (Ground-level Response and Coordinated Engagement), a partnership between Whatcom County Health and Community Services and the Bellingham Fire Department that represents another innovative approach to public safety challenges. Ashley Smith, GRACE Program Supervisor, and Captain Steve Larson, Community Paramedic with Bellingham Fire, presented an update on a program that has achieved remarkable results in reducing emergency service utilization while improving outcomes for the community's most vulnerable residents. The program targets frequent users of emergency services — people who might call 911 six or more times per year, have 12 or more law enforcement interactions, visit emergency departments 20 or more times, or have six jail bookings with a behavioral health component. Rather than simply responding to crisis after crisis, GRACE provides intensive case management and care coordination to address underlying causes. Captain Larson, hired in 2008 and a paramedic since 2010, described how community paramedicine in Bellingham has evolved to serve residents with complex needs including substance use disorder, homelessness, mental health disorders, chronic medical conditions, and frequent falls. The program provides alternatives to emergency services through what he calls "mobile integrated health" — a combination of programs creating infrastructure to support individuals in their own environments. The program's history reflects Bellingham's commitment to innovation. Community paramedicine began in 2014 as a six-month pilot that was quickly made permanent. Initially focusing on identifying high utilizers and connecting them to resources, it expanded to work with facilities like adult family homes and nursing homes that were overusing 911 for non-emergency situations. GRACE itself began with a different host agency before moving to Whatcom County in 2022, allowing for better partnership with the fire department. The opioid crisis that intensified around 2023 created new opportunities for collaboration, particularly through street medicine and coordinated response to overdoses. A significant recent development is the addition of a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) working from the downtown Public Safety Office. Under "Ricky's Law" (HB 1713), this individual can detain people deemed gravely disabled due to substance use, getting them medical clearance and involuntary treatment when they haven't followed through on less restrictive options. ## Measurable Impact: Lives Saved, Costs Avoided The data Smith presented was striking. In 2023, GRACE served 66 participants who had generated 5,684 EMS calls in the 12 months before enrollment. Twelve months after completing the program, those same individuals generated only 929 EMS calls — an 84% reduction. The cost implications are staggering. Those 66 participants had cost the community approximately $15.7 million in the year before GRACE enrollment. After 12 months post-graduation, costs dropped to $1.65 million — a cost avoidance of over $14 million. And this calculation doesn't even include emergency department visits or law enforcement interaction costs, suggesting the true impact is even greater. This dramatic impact comes from a program with a total 2024 budget of $834,000, with Bellingham contributing $334,000 (40% of the total). The return on investment is extraordinary by any measure. GRACE case managers logged 8,376 hours in 2024 assisting with appointments, coordinating care, making referrals, and providing transportation. They also spent 345 hours supporting severe weather shelter operations, though Smith noted this creates challenges for the core program by reducing capacity for new referrals. The program serves an older population than might be expected, with 66% of clients over age 46. Mental health tops the list of risk factors, followed by EMS high utilization, complex medical conditions, aging/disability, substance use, and homelessness. Current capacity limitations mean GRACE can only work with about 20 clients per case manager and typically can't serve people with fewer than 10-12 emergency service contacts per year, despite the official threshold of six. There's clearly unmet need, particularly during nights and weekends when behavioral health calls don't discriminate but the program doesn't operate. ## Addressing Care Facility Challenges One concerning trend Smith and Larson highlighted involves assisted living facilities that appear to be using 911 for staffing needs rather than genuine emergencies. One facility generated 400 calls in a single year, with only 60% resulting in hospital transport — suggesting 40% weren't truly emergent. Fire Chief Bill Hewitt joined the discussion to address this issue, explaining that the department is exploring both education and enforcement options. "A lot of it comes down to facilities that are not meeting their legal requirements as a facility," he noted, suggesting the city might need to move beyond education to explore fining or billing facilities for non-emergent calls. The concern is particularly acute because many GRACE clients reside in these facilities, and the vulnerable elderly residents pay thousands of dollars monthly for services that are being "farmed out to the fire department," as Larson put it. ## Looking Forward: Expansion and Sustainability Both programs face questions about sustainability and expansion. For the police wellness program, Dr. Earley's concern about grant funding drying up resonated with council members who made clear their support for continued city funding. The program's success in recruitment and retention, combined with its impact on officer well-being and community safety, makes it a clear investment in the city's future. For GRACE, the needs are different but equally pressing. Smith outlined several priorities: additional year-round shelter capacity (noting that shelter support work, while valuable, reduces capacity for core GRACE services), vehicle budget for aging transportation, and expanded hours to serve clients during nights and weekends when many behavioral health crises occur. Captain Larson emphasized the potential for billing facilities for non-emergent calls and possibly expanding community paramedic services. The permanent embedding of the Designated Crisis Responder, currently in a six-month trial, represents another crucial expansion. "We have already seen such a large impact of his work that we've done and arguably saved multiple lives in just a few months," Larson said about the DCR partnership. ## Council Commitment and Community Impact The council's response to both presentations was enthusiastic and supportive. Committee Chair Hammill, drawing on his years of experience observing police training and responding to community concerns, emphasized the difference these programs make in distinguishing Bellingham from other communities. "What's the difference between our police department and anyone up and down the I-5 corridor?" he asked. "It's programs like this, and it's officers like you, and a chief like this. That's the difference. It's the people that show up and get up every day and go to work and do their best to try to serve their community." He also made a point about supporting those who serve: "We have great employees in our city, and we need to take care of our own." His commitment to funding both programs, even if grant money disappears, was echoed by other council members. Council Member Williams praised GRACE's effectiveness: "When I think back to those days and I think of where we are now with all of the levels of service that we provide to help people that are in trauma, that are in a drug abuse situation... I haven't seen it in very many other places and I'm very proud that we are doing this." Council President Stone, though not a committee member, spoke to the annual presentations she looks forward to: "The cost avoidance and the decreases in EMS utilization, pretty shocking just how effective this program is... the money that we put into this saves us money in the long run." Mayor Lund expressed particular pride in both programs as examples of Bellingham setting high standards and delivering excellence in community policing and public health response. ## A Model for the Nation What emerged from this 70-minute committee meeting was a portrait of a community that has chosen to invest in innovative, evidence-based approaches to public safety that prioritize human dignity and wellbeing. Rather than simply responding to crises — whether officer trauma or emergency service overutilization — Bellingham has created systems that address root causes and provide sustainable support. The police wellness program challenges decades of law enforcement culture that saw emotional vulnerability as weakness. By creating multiple pathways for officers to seek help — from embedded psychologists to vetted therapists to peer support to mountain hiking trips — the department has created an environment where asking for help is normalized and supported. GRACE represents a similar revolution in how communities respond to their most vulnerable residents. Rather than the revolving door of emergency responses, jail, and repeat crises, the program creates pathways to stability and improved outcomes while dramatically reducing costs to the community. Both programs face sustainability challenges, but the council's strong support suggests Bellingham is committed to maintaining its leadership role in progressive public safety approaches. As Officer Mara noted in her testimony, "This city is one of the most beautiful places in the state. And just like every city we need law enforcement, we need first responders. The city deserves the best, they deserve strong, healthy and open-minded officers responding to their emergencies." The meeting adjourned at 2:10 PM with clear commitments from leadership to continue supporting both programs. But perhaps more importantly, it showcased a community that has chosen to see public safety not just as enforcement and emergency response, but as comprehensive support for both those who serve and those who need help — a model that other communities across the nation would be wise to study and emulate.