North Bay police, local agencies partner to create new mental health initiative to help youth
Nipissing University is spearheading a one-year research project to create a youth mental health program aimed at increasing how quickly officials respond to children and youth in crisis in the city.
The university is working in collaboration with the North Bay police, Hands The Family Help Network, and a private software company.
“We need a more collaborative response to people with mental health problems in the community,” said Ron Hoffman, chair of the university’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice program.
Hoffman secured a $100,000 grant from Ontario Centres For Excellence In Child and Youth Mental Health to kick start a pilot program targeted at youth under age 18.
The project will give police access to what’s called a ‘mental health screener’ on their phone. When officers arrive on scene for a mental health related call involving a youth, they can input information regarding the child into the screener.
“Quite often, the police service is the first emergency service or social service to respond to a youth in crisis,” said North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod.
The screener will automatically compute an algorithm for categories like danger to self, danger to others and inability to care for one’s self.
“So what it does, is it will help the officer decide on what is the most appropriate action,” said Hoffman. “Whether to take the person to the hospital, we’re also creating linkages where officers can send information from the screener to local mental health agencies.”
One of these agencies joining the partnership is Hands The Family Help Network, which will get youth the appropriate help they need right away.
“It would almost be like an urgent response model to children who are at higher risk in the community or dealing with more complex mental health needs,” said Trish Benoit, the group's acting director of children and youth services.
Oftentimes, youth in crisis incidents occur in school or at home. Statistics from July show police responded to 150 mental health related calls. The police’s mobile crisis team was sent to 22 of those calls.
“Having a screener available to us to record and have information readily provided to a healthcare provider in a very quick fashion will be able to get us access to an individual quicker,” said Tod.
It’s a one-of-a-kind project. Benoit said similar programs have been created for police agencies catered to the adult sector, but never for struggling youth.
“We’re one of the first communities to pilot this across the province within the age demographic,” she said.
Hoffman, a former police officer, said the screener tool will not only help youth get treatment faster, but also help police who might not be trained how to deal with certain mental health incidents.
“What we’re doing is catching that mental health disorder at an earlier stage in the hopes of averting situations where the police come later and it’s already a crisis,” said Hoffman. “This is really huge. It’s ground-breaking.”
Hoffman said police will be trained to ask for consent to use the system with the youth in crisis, unless it’s a matter of a life or death.
It’s hoped the screener system will be set up by Dec. 8.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
Russia reports downing 5 Ukrainian military balloons in Kyiv's latest apparent war innovation
Russian air defences downed what authorities described as five Ukrainian balloons overnight, the defence ministry in Moscow said Thursday, as the sides kept up long-range strikes that have featured heavily in what has largely become a war of attrition.