Fraser Health and Chilliwack RCMP join forces to improve mental health crisis response

Chilliwack– Fraser Health and Chilliwack RCMP have entered into a formal partnership to respond more effectively to individuals in mental health and addiction crisis situations.

Building on an already strong working relationship in responding to emergency mental health and substance use situations in Chilliwack, the partners have developed a formalized consultation and intervention service to improve support through dedicated police officers and designated mental health professionals.

Patrol RCMP officers will continue to be the first responders in crisis situations. The focus of the partnership will be to better prepare these officers to provide urgent response. Clients who may cause harm to themselves or others will be identified and, where appropriate, will be diverted from emergency services to other suitable services.

This service will provide follow-up to the first response, including meeting with the individual to see how their needs for mental health and substance use support can best be met. Formally joining efforts will help RCMP and health care workers to better connect with vulnerable individuals in the community who need support and to provide critical and timely responses.

The partnership, which came into effect June 20, 2011, includes:

Professional telephone consultation when RCMP officers are concerned about community members who may be experiencing a mental health or addictions-related crisis

Outreach support with the RCMP to clients, to provide consultation (brief assessment/triage)

Referrals to mental health teams and/or other agencies appropriate to the individual’s needs

Sharing of expertise, including training for officers about mental health and substance use issues and to improve crisis intervention skills

The services included in the new partnership will be available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Outside of these hours, individuals in crisis will continue to have access to other crisis support services, including:

911 if the individual is in crisis and needs immediate assistance

The After Hours Mental Health Service: 1-877-384-8062 (Monday to Friday 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., weekends and holidays from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.)

The Centralized Crisis Line: 1-877-820-7444 (24 hours a day, every day)

The Psychiatric Liaison Service in Chilliwack General Hospital Emergency Room

Quotes:

John Les, MLA, Chilliwack:
Residents of Chilliwack will benefit from this coordinated approach to mental health services. By working together, this partnership between Fraser Health and Chilliwack RCMP will help ensure that people experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis get the help they need.”
Barry Penner, MLA, Chilliwack-Hope:
“It's a very positive step for Fraser Health and Chilliwack RCMP to work together to improve services for this vulnerable population. The whole community will benefit if we can get people who are having a mental health crisis a timely referral to the support and services they need. This should reduce the number of mental health clients ending up in police custody or hospital emergency rooms.”


Lois Dixon, Executive Director, Fraser Health Mental Health and Substance Use
“The new partnership will help us provide critical, timely response to vulnerable individuals who need our support,” said. By working more closely together, we can do a better job of connecting people in mental health crisis situations with the community supports and services that they need and reduce our reliance on hospital emergency departments as the first point of contact.”

Inspector Grant Wilson, Operations Officer, Chilliwack RCMP:
"Chilliwack RCMP is eager to put this partnership to work in our community. This new partnership gives both the police and mental health an improved service delivery model for assisting people in mental health crises. By utilizing a coordinated response with mental health professionals, the public will be better served and resources for both organizations will be utilized more efficiently.”

For media inquiries, please contact:
Fraser Health
Roy Thorpe-Dorward
Tel: 604-587-4612
Fraser Health Media Pager: 604-450-7881
Email: media@fraserhealth.ca 

Chilliwack RCMP:
UFVRD RCMP Media Relations Unit
Tel: 604-702-4017
Cell: 604-819-5553
Email: ufvrd_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca