By Angela Brown

Battlefords RCMP and mental health come together for new PACT program

Nov 30, 2018 | 1:00 PM

Battlefords residents facing mental health distress will now be able to receive added and timely support with the announcement of the new Police and Crisis Team (PACT).

Health care representatives, the RCMP, and community leaders came together to announce the new program at a press conference at the Battlefords Union Hospital boardroom Friday morning.  

Mental health experts and the RCMP will work together as a mobile team to deal with calls for people in crisis. The initiative will also improve how front-line policing services respond to people in mental health crisis situations.

“The PACT program is a new initiative for us here in the Battlefords,” said Chad Sayers, director of mental health and addictions services for the North West region for Saskatchewan Health Authority. “We’re extremely excited about this initiative working with the police. We do have a long-standing, well established relationship with the police, which this will obviously strengthen. But more importantly, I think what it brings is more responsive, more timely access and appropriate service to the people of the Battlefords and surrounding area when it come to mental health and addictions related issues.”

There will be two mental health clinicians with social work and addictions backgrounds as a part of the PACT program. They will respond with police to calls for service involving situations related to mental health and addictions concerns. One mental health clinician and one RCMP officer will work together for each work shift as part of the PACT program mobile team.

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“For example, if a call comes in to the police that is determined to have an element of mental health and addictions related issues, the mental health and addictions crisis team will respond with the police,” Sayers said. He added the bigger outcome will mean assessments will be able to be done on-site during calls, in a timely manner.  

Battlefords RCMP Sgt. Pernell St. Pierre echoed Sayers comments.

“It’s going to get the resources right at the scene rather than waiting over time at the hospital,” he said. “They will get the help right at the scene and we can follow up with them there.” 

He said the program is expected to start Dec. 10. Initially, the program will be covering North Battleford and Battleford only, said St. Pierre, adding this will also be an opportunity to make sure the program is running smoothly before expanding it to neighbouring communities.  

St. Pierre said the PACT program will also help with community safety in the Battlefords since people who are suffering from a mental health crisis will be able to get the help they need right away at their doorstep essentially, as well as follow-up assistance to hopefully prevent further calls for public and police safety. 

He added sometimes police receive calls for straight forward mental health concerns such as suicide issues, but at times they also receive calls for situations involving a person who may be involved in criminal activity as well, so the added mental health resources will be a good support to assist and reduce the number of emergency room as well as court room visits as well.

The province announced in a statement Friday it is investing $980,000 in 2018-19 for new PACT programs. The Ministry of Health funding for this expansion comes from the Canada-Saskatchewan Bilateral Funding Agreement. As announced in January 2017, the federal government is providing Saskatchewan with close to $350 million over 10 years for targeted incremental investments in home and community care and mental health and addiction services.

Battlefords MLA Herb Cox said the PACT program actually started in the province in 2014. The province ran the pilot in Saskatoon and Regina where Cox said that it has been a “great success.”

“We know that mental health and addictions is a serious problem and we think this is a great step forward in helping to resolve that problem, help people get the care they need in the most timely fashion

North Battleford Mayor Ryan Bater believes the new program will also be good for the community.

“I think it’s very exciting,” he said of the initiative. “(With) today’s announcement, there’s been a lot of work between the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the RCMP to develop the protocols and to recruit. Now we’re seeing the roll-out of it. The impact on our city and our community can be quite dramatic. It will align resources with mental health and addictions and the RCMP so that people are better served and that the resources we have for community policing are better used.”

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW