2nd Embedded Social Worker Now On Everett Streets

After a period of time when there were no embedded social workers in Everett, the City has announced the addition of the second social worker to complete the team. Here are the details in a press release just received…

The Everett Police Department welcomes the newest member of the Community Outreach and Enforcement Team today as Staci McCole begins her duties as an embedded social worker.

McCole’s background includes significant social services work within the medical world, including working at Harborview Medical Center, where she provided social work services to more than 40 specialty clinics and the largest primary care clinic. For the past two years, she has worked at Seattle Children’s Hospital, partnering with a diverse population of patients and families experiencing complex bio-psychosocial issues. Most recently, McCole has been part of the after-hours team and provided support to patients and their families throughout the hospital.

Though her new role with EPD will be a different setting from the medical realm, McCole believes it will still be familiar territory.

“At Harborview and Children’s my role involved responding to the needs of vulnerable individuals and families experiencing homelessness, grief and loss, mental health, and chemical dependency issues,” McCole said. “I’m excited to be able to transfer the resources and relationships I’ve built across the state to help those in our community.”

McCole also explained that her time at Harborview required her to use a think-outside-the-box approach in order to meet the challenges of limited community resources and patients who were often difficult to engage. She witnessed firsthand the cost to patients, as well to the community, when individuals in need are relying on the criminal justice system and emergency room as their sole resources for help.

In her position with EPD, she looks forward to being part of a team that is able to reach those individuals before they find themselves in crisis, and connect them with the resources that they need. McCole understands that some of the people contacted by the team will need to be held accountable for criminal behavior, but the idea of balancing the law enforcement approach with outreach efforts is intriguing.

“Law enforcement partnering with social workers to meet the needs of the community by addressing the complex social issues affecting its members really energizes me,” McCole said.

Overall, McCole is most looking forward to getting involved in the community and working with individuals and families to help them meet their needs and reach their goals. She anticipates following up with the clients to make sure that they don’t fall through the cracks after the COET team helps them make initial connections to assistance and resources.

“I am very excited to see the steps Everett is taking to better serve the vulnerable members of our community,” McCole said. “I’m looking forward to being a part of that change.”

Learn more about the Everett Safe Streets Plan.