Timmins Police and the Timmins and District Hospital have formally launched a combined mobile crisis rapid response team.
It pairs police officers with mental health and addictions workers, to respond to calls of people in crisis.
The idea is to reduce the number of dealings with police, courts and the hospital.
(Bob McIntyre, MyTimminsNow.com staff)
Mental health nurse Morgan Ellerton says it will also speed things up in time of crisis. He has regularly seen officers wait for up to four hours in the ER, before they can turn the patient over.
“We’ll be able to intervene, make this a lot quicker,” he explains. “We can make the assessment happen, present to the doctor and ultimately decide whether this patient should be admitted or released with resources.”
Stephanie Paquette is the mental health and addictions lead for the Northeast Local Health Integration Network, which is funding the team.
She says it’s a matter of the team of police officers and mental health nurses being in the right place at the right time.
“We know that people in crisis need the right supports and they need the right environment,” Paquette says. “And by pairing police officers with mental health and addictions specialists, we are addressing both the person’s safety needs while offering them the support they need in their moment of crisis.”
The team is in action from 11:00am to 11:00pm. Studies show that’s when most mental health crises happen.