In the fall of 2022, the Lansdale Borough Police Department applied for grant funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to establish a Mental Health Co-Responder for our community.  Based on the strength of our grant application. The police department was awarded $134,000 dollars to create and fund the program. In the summer of 2023, the department announced the partnership with Merakey Behavioral Health for our Co-responder Program.

In September of 2023, we welcomed Alexis Moyer to our ranks as LPD’s Mental Health Co-Responder.  Alexis, who is a graduate of Susquehanna University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, brings with her over 20 years of experience in the social services field, having worked with individuals of all ages and backgrounds in the area of mental and emotional health, including adjudicated youth offenders.

In 2002, Alexis joined Merakey, a non-profit provider of developmental, behavioral, and educational services, where she focused her efforts in serving adults living with mental health, behavioral issues, and substance use disorders, by linking them to resources in the community which best served their individualized needs. These resources included housing, education, vocation, medical, psychiatric needs, as well as socialization skills.

LPD’s Co-Responder program provides behavioral health intervention, de-escalation resources, and referrals to ongoing care, in-real-time, by placing the Co-Responder in the field with the officers as they respond to calls for service. 

In the few months Alexis has been working with LPD, she has become an invaluable addition to the department.  Her ability to connect people with critical services they need including medical, mental health, and drug treatment is the key to reducing follow-up calls to the police and her ability to deescalate active calls in Lansdale and neighboring jurisdictions, has proven to be invaluable.

Alexis works closely with Manna on Main Street, Your Way Home, and many other agencies and services in Montgomery County to develop the partnerships which allow this program to flourish.  Alexis has also been working closely with the North Penn School District assisting elementary school families, who may need critical emotional and mental health support services.

Alexis’ greatest strength as a Co-Responder, is her unique ability to bridge the communication gap which police officers often face and develop the trusting relationships necessary with those she serves.

Over the next year Alexis will be able to spend more time with people, building those relationships which are often the key to connecting the consumers with the treatment they need but who were initially unwilling to seek out.

Alexis tells her consumers, “When you don’t have hope, I hold it for you.”    

If you are in need of help with substance use, addiction, homelessness, aging and adult services, mental health, behavioral health or other social services within Lansdale Borough, you can contact Alexis at:

Alexis Moyer

asmoyer@merakey.org

or

Call 267-718-1035