'We know that, in most cases, police-only involvement is not the most appropriate response'
The combined expertise of police personnel and mental health workers attending to a crisis will be on display in more communities in British Columbia soon.
The B.C. provincial government is expanding Mobile Integrated Crisis Response (MICR) Teams (also known as Car programs) to Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Penticton, Vernon, Squamish, Prince Rupert and the Westshore – thanks to $3 million the government committed to help fund the program’s implementation throughout the province.
Currently, MICR Teams are operating in Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George, Fort St. John, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, North Shore, Nanaimo and Victoria.
“We have heard from law enforcement agencies that they are responding to more and more calls from people who are experiencing mental health or substance use crises, and we know that they have as first responders long been the default response in these situations,” Jennifer Whiteside, minister of mental health and addictions said on Monday, according to a Global News report.
“When people are in crisis because of mental-health challenges, we want them met with compassion and appropriate care.”
Expanding the program ensures that people in distress receive a health-focused response and connections to the services and supports they need on their pathway to well-being, she said.
In B.C., one in five interactions with police involve someone with a mental-health disorder, according to the government.
Overall, about 500,000 Canadians are unable to work due to poor mental health every week, according to a previous report commissioned by Future Skills Centre. And nearly all (95%) of people with a mental health or substance use disorder indicated that they have been impacted by stigma in the past five years, according to a report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
De-escalating situations
MICR Teams provide on-site emotional and mental-health assessments, crisis intervention and referrals to appropriate services in the community, according to the B.C. government.
The goal of the “car” teams is to respond to such situations in a trauma-informed way, Whiteside said, according to a Global News report.
“Police have been the default first responders in the event of a mental health crisis, and we know that in most cases police-only involvement is not the most appropriate response,” said Mike Farnworth, public safety minister and solicitor general, in the report.
“More importantly, having police-only involvement can help contribute to the stigmatization of mental health and even deter people in crisis from seeking help.”
With the car teams, the mental health worker is able to de-escalate situations, involve the patient’s family or loved ones, help figure out the best next step for care and provide on-site mental health and emotional assessments, Whiteside said. Meanwhile, the police presence allows that work to be conducted safely, she said.
Expanding so-called “car” teams was among a number of mental health recommendations included in a review of B.C.’s Police Act by an all-party legislative committee in April 2022, according to a previous Global News report.
Canadians have been facing a lot of mental health troubles lately. Canada is host to some of the highest levels of employee stress, according to a report from Gallup. And as many as 40% of workers between the ages of 18 and 24 say they’re at a mental health “breaking point,” according to another study.
Welcome development
Several stakeholders had positive things to say about the B.C. program’s expansion.
“Police are responding to an ever-increasing number of calls for service that have a nexus to mental-health-related concerns,” said Maureen Levy, assistant commissioner, Lower Mainland district commander, RCMP. “This key partnership will enable us to work more collaboratively, effectively and side by side with our health-care professionals to directly support our vulnerable populations, who are facing a mental-health crisis. My motto is: ‘We are better when we work together, and everyone matters.’”
“These partnerships between nurses and police officers are so beneficial to clients during crises because we get to bring our specialized mental-health assessment skills and knowledge right to them,” said Tina Baker, registered psychiatric nurse, Car 67 program. “We can give 100% of our care and attention to the client, knowing that police are there to keep us and clients safe. I am thrilled more communities will soon have this program.”