About

The Fourth Branch Institute supports communities looking to add a fourth branch of behavioral health first responders to their public safety system and aims to supplement the existing organizations and their efforts.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS EMERGING FIELD...

The fourth branch, also known as unarmed crisis response, civilian crisis response, community responder models, or alternative dispatch, is an emerging field, designed to address the many challenges associated with police response to behavioral health-related 911 calls. Alternative models provide individuals in crisis with what they need: highly skilled, compassionate care.

Amazing progress is being made across the US and Canada to increase the availability of behavioral health crisis response from 911. There are several communities of practice being offered with varying levels of accessibility and different target audiences. There is some technical assistance offered through specific grants or by engaging individuals who have expertise in the design, implementation, and operations. Research is being pursued at several universities. Traditional crisis training and training for other first responders are starting to be adapted for behavioral health first responders.

4BI aims to supplement the existing organizations and efforts. As the field evolves, best practices need to be pulled together and made available, research priorities need to be highlighted, the results of research available in a central location, and communities need to be able to tap into existing expertise to bring the fourth branch to their locality.

Our Mission

Our mission at the Fourth Branch Institute is to support municipalities, organizations, and communities in advocating for, developing, and implementing a fourth branch of the emergency response system for their community.

Our Vision

We envision a world in which behavioral health crises are managed with compassion and care by behavioral health first responders.

Meet the 4BI Team

Claire Ryder

Executive Director

About claire

Claire Ryder is a highly skilled healthcare leader with extensive experience in behavioral health crisis management and intervention. She began her career as an Emergency Services and Civil Process Clinician in the New River Valley, Virginia, where she conducted emergency psychiatric evaluations and crisis interventions for children and adults. Claire has expertise in direct mobile crisis intervention as well as system and program design. She was instrumental in launching the fourth branch of the emergency response system in New Orleans, the Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit (MCIU). In her role as Director of Business Development and Social Innovation for MCIU’s parent company, she collaborated with local stakeholders and program leadership to design the participant experience committee, staff health and wellness program, and data dashboarding. She has also served as the Director of Quality Improvement for a medium sized, multistate behavioral health organization supporting program enhancements and safety programs. She has a Doctor of Health Sciences in population health with a focus on behavioral health. Her research explored the staff experience of safety in the Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit.

areas of expertise

Budgeting and contracting
Program design, development, and implementation
Staff health and wellness program development
Participant experience committees and focus groups
Written material creation (service descriptions, policies, job descriptions, etc.)
Crisis training for first responders

Alisha Nash

Director of Communications

about alisha

Alisha Nash is an accomplished professional with over fifteen years’ experience in the behavioral health and non-profit industries. She began her career as a crisis counselor for survivors of interpersonal violence in Raleigh, North Carolina. After receiving her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, Alisha shifted her professional focus to securing funding and implementing sustainable growth strategies for non-profit organizations across the spectrum of behavioral health services. Alisha's consulting strategy encompasses a wide range of expertise, including identifying and securing public and private funding, developing comprehensive program plans, and implementing effective organizational practices. She leverages her experience to provide tailored solutions that address the unique challenges facing innovative leaders in the civilian crisis response space. Alisha is committed to fostering efficiency and sustainability in every project she undertakes, helping clients maximize impact.

Areas of expertise

Grant writing
Securing public and private funding
Program plan development
Organizational development
Report creation and other writing projects

Rachel Bromberg
Senior Consultant

About rachel

Rachel Bromberg is the founder of the International Crisis Response Association, which is a resource hub for communities across Canada and the United States that are developing alternative crisis response models. She has worked closely with Toronto, Durham, Barrie, New Orleans, Rochester, Northampton, and a number of other cities to help them develop alternative crisis response models. She is a member of the Toronto Police Services' Board's Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Panel, the Toronto Regional Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's Constituency Council, and PeerWorks' Board of Directors. She is currently completing a dual degree in law and social work (JD/MSW) at the University of Toronto, and she has been working in frontline mental health roles for over ten years.

areas of expertise

Advocacy
Consensus-building with elected officials and key stakeholders
Community engagement
Communications strategy
Evidence-informed practice
Implementation
Strategic planning

Roshan Bliss
Senior Consultant

About roshan

Roshan Bliss is the Principal Consultant of Bliss Collaborations LLC. Based in Denver, Roshan is a professional facilitator, trainer, leadership coach, and public engagement specialist with over a decade of experience in public policy and community organizing. He played a leading role in the original community-led effort to launch Denver’s ground-breaking alternative emergency response initiative now known as STAR, and he has advised over a dozen efforts to launch similar programs in both the US and Canada since 2020.

Areas of expertise

Training on community organizing
Youth engagement
Community stakeholder engagement/buy-in
Accountability strategy
From first steps through implementation
Strategic planning

Benjamin Brubaker
Senior Consultant

about benjamin

Ben Brubaker has worked in the mental health field for over two decades, having held positions such as: Crisis Worker, Mobile Crisis Worker, Hurricane Katrina Relief Operational Site Coordinator, Day Counselor for youth, AmeriCorps Team Leader, and Direct Care Provider. Ben has dedicated his life to serving individuals from historically marginalized communities. He worked at White Bird Clinic in Eugene for 18 years starting as a Crisis worker on their 24/7 Crisis Line and Walk-in Center. Later he joined the mobile crisis intervention team (CAHOOTS) as a Crisis Worker, doing crisis and medical psychedelic harm reduction at festivals with White Bird's Rock Medicine program, and providing de-escalation training across Oregon. Most recently he served as the Co-Executive Director of White Bird Clinic for 5 years before stepping back to focus on assisting other communities with building alternative public safety response systems as a trainer and consultant.

areas of expertise