Cordico Inc. is the winner in the Government and Civic technology category of the Sacramento Region Innovation Awards. Accenture is the runner-up.
First responders are resilient.
They fight fires, and put on body armor when going to work. They work in jails, and respond to medical emergencies.
They are tough people, surrounded by others like them, and that makes it difficult for them to stand up and say they need help, said David Black, founder and president of Cordico Inc.
“That creates a real problem, for all of us,” said Black, a psychologist. “That is why, really why, we see high rates of suicide and high rates of suicidal thinking.”
The Cordico Wellness app seeks to change that. The app, tailored to specific agencies, provides resources on a person’s phone. It also provides anonymity, which Black called a critical element.
“There’s a stigma in this profession,” he said. “Anonymity is the solution for that. That’s just a really critical component that makes it successful.”
The wellness app, used by agencies across the country, received the Sacramento Region Innovation Award for government/civic technology.
Black started Cordico in 2014. In its early years, the company's main focus was providing pre-employment psychological screening for first-responder agencies.
Black said the app came about in late 2018 after a conversation he had with the police chief of Vacaville. The chief asked if Black had ever considered an app to help first responders. That led to him connecting with Rich Foreman, Cordico’s vice president of wellness technology.
“We built an app and it just took off in a way I couldn’t have imagined,” Black said.
The app gives its users several paths, and not just for mental wellness. There are tools to help someone’s physical and financial wellness as well, said Foreman.
“There were over 200 agencies we had developed apps for,” he added.
The app has a different name depending on the type of agency. CordicoShield is for law enforcement. CordicoFire is for firefighters.
They app contains tools for someone who wants to know whether they have an alcohol problem. They can take a test, and then receive a recommendation which could lead them to talk to someone, Foreman said.
There are also articles, videos and what Black calls audiocasts available. Users can access scientific-based guides on topics like how to manage depression.
“We give specific parenting tips,” he added. “It gets very, very detailed.”
There are also tools for self-assessment and stress. Some users need immediate help, while others might be conducting research. Still others are doing well, and want help to build on that success.
The app has resources based on the needs for each agency. Those involved in the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, for example, take a psychological toll in their work, and have specific tools created for them.
The ease of access is key to the app’s success.
“All of us have our phones with us at all times,” Black said. “Push a button the moment it’s needed, and I think that was the real difference maker.”
Black has seen that difference at agencies across the country. The Vacaville Police Department was the first to get the app, and the Memphis Police Department was the first in a major U.S. city to get it. Those two departments are two of the four awardees of the 2020 National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards.
“We’re just incredibly proud of it,” Black said.
The Essentials
Cordico, a unit of Lexipol
What it does: Lexipol provides policy, training and wellness support to first-responder agencies. Cordico offers an app to provide mental health support to first responders.
Headquarters: Lexipol is based in Frisco, Texas. Its Cordico unit is in Gold River.
CEO: Lexipol CEO is Chuck Corbin; David Black is founder and president of Cordico.
Employees: 318 at Lexipol
Annual revenue: Declined to disclose
Runner-up: Accenture
Innovation: The Accenture Virtual Experience Solution Intake Interview Training Experience, also referred to as "AVEnueS." The Accenture Virtual Experience Solution, which was developed in Sacramento and deployed nationally, is a virtual-reality-enabled training platform for human services caseworkers. It simulates the real-life situations, environments and emotions that caseworkers face.
Executives associated with the innovation: Mark Noriega, managing director and Sacramento office lead; Fabio Matsui, project director; Meghan Lamberti, business lead
Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland
Employees: 624,000 worldwide; 540 in Sacramento
Revenue: $50.5 billion
