Sudbury police gets new mental health team
Last June, the Greater Sudbury Police Service added a Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team to deal with an ever increasing number of mental health calls and it is now being expanded.
The new pilot project teams up a specialized mental health nurse with a police officer to get people the help they need, and in some cases, divert people from the justice system or going to the hospital unnecessarily.
"We get the majority of these calls, they are not really a police matter and we don't have the tools to necessarily deal with some of the vulnerable people in our community, some of the things that are going on in their life or refer to them to where they need to go," said Sgt. Matt Hall.
"So having this person from (Health Sciences North) being able to be a better tool for our toolbox."
The new team started May 1.
"To have a dedicated team that will be able to mange these calls while minimizing the impact on the individual who is receiving the services as well as the system," said a clinical manager at HSN.
Sudbury police said in March 2022, there were 90 calls for service that had a mental health component. Of the people involved, 55 per cent had previous contact with police in the last 30 days.
"With this new team that is dedicated to work within the community, they can go out and do proactive stuff. Check on these individuals, see how they are doing, making sure they are keeping up with their appointments, their medications, doing any referrals in the community that is needed at that time for that individual where they might be falling through the gaps," Hall said.
While the project is temporary, officials hope it will become permanent.
"So for instance, engaging with individuals prior to their mental health or circumstances becoming worse or before their situation becomes a crisis type situation," Jason Seguin, a coordinator at HSN, said.
The project recently received over $100,000 in provincial funding to create the team.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.