The province, RCMP and Northern Health have announced funding for a new initiative to support people in Prince Rupert experiencing mental health or substance abuse crises.
Often when someone experiences such a situation, police officers are the first line of contact, but are not necessarily the most appropriate people to respond.
With the provincial support, a new Mobile Integrated Crisis Response Team (MICR) team — pairs police officers with a mental health-care professional to respond to mental health calls made to the RCMP — will be developed.
“These are important partnerships to support people in mental health crises and connect them with the supports they need,” said Julie Pemberton, health services administrator for the Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii. “We’re happy to see this program expanding to Prince Rupert and look forward to working with local RCMP on this initiative.”
Jennifer Rice, MLA for the North Coast and B.C.’s Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health, said these programs have been successful in other communities and she believes it will better serve vulnerable individuals and make Prince Rupert a safer place.
“When someone is in a mental health crisis, they should feel safe with those there to help them, be met with warmth, and compassion,” she said.
“Programs like this recognize that in these situations, mental health professionals should be the people taking the lead, which allows the RCMP to focus on law enforcement.”
The teams provide on-site mental health assessments and crisis intervention, and can refer individuals to appropriate services in the community.
Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond expressed his gratitude that the province is providing the resources.
“I think the MICR program is terrific and will be extremely valuable to our residents and local RCMP detachment in Prince Rupert,” he said.
Prince Rupert’s detachment commander was also grateful.
“The Prince Rupert RCMP looks forward to working with Northern Health to establish a service delivery model that provides safety and specialized services to those in crisis,” said Sgt. Gerald Walker.
“The provincial government has committed $3 million to help fund the implementation of nine new teams across B.C.,” a press release stated. “With communities now selected, health authorities and local police will begin planning together to recruit staff and put services in place as quickly as possible.”
thom.barker@blackpress.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter