Crisis centre needed in Thunder Bay: police chief

A pair of programs teaming Thunder Bay police officers with mental health workers are proving successful in responding to mental health-related calls, but the city is still in need of a dedicated, permanent crisis centre, the police chief said Tuesday.

A report on the Integrated Mobile Police and Crisis Team (IMPACT) was presented on Tuesday's police services board hearing.

The IMPACT program teams a police officer with a mental health worker, who responds to mental health-related calls. The IMPACT program operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is designed to not only ensure those in need of mental health supports receive them, but also to cut down on the time spent by police officers in the city's emergency department.

Thunder Bay police Community Services Branch Inspt. Derek West said the IMPACT program is operating as a one-year pilot, and launched on Jan. 4.

"In the short time impactors operated, they have attended 190 face-to-face interactions, resulting in 77 individuals being diverted from the emergency department," West said. "Seventy individuals were presented to the E.R., with thirty-seven of those … to be assessed."

"The impact unit has supported forty-one individuals who are not in a mental health crisis, but the team was able to offer services and provide advice."

The latter instances may include supporting someone who was the victim of a crime or have received a death notification, West said.

The IMPACT program is funded by the North West Local Health Integration Network, and the board will send a letter to the organization urging them to continue funding the program beyond the pilot period.

Meanwhile, the Joint Mobile Crisis Response Team also continues to operate in the city. That program operates 12 hours a day and gives police the option to call in a two-person mental health team for support on certain calls.

Police Chief Sylvie Hauth said despite the success of the two programs, the need for a dedicated, permanent crisis centre in Thunder Bay remains.

"That's kind of what we would suggest that we keep pushing for as a community, is to have a crisis centre that is inclusive of all the work that we're currently doing, not just a one off with the teams that we currently have," Hauth told the board.

An earlier proposal, which has yet to be approved by the province, called for the crisis centre to include 20 mental health beds, and 20 crisis beds.