In anticipation of the upcoming provincial budget announcement, local officials are calling for enhanced funding for a program that sees mental health workers accompany police officers attending mental health calls.
The initiative, known as the IMPACT team, was launched in 2015 with limited hours. With increased funding, the proposal would see it offered 24/7.
“This greatly improves care for those in crisis, providing more timely access to community-based crisis services through the promotion of emergency room diversions,” states a joint letter from Mayor Cam Guthrie, Guelph police chief Gordon Cobey and Helen Fishburn, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington, to Christine Elliott, Minister of Health, and Michael Tibollo, associate minister of mental health and addictions.
“The project would contribute to the objectives of (provincial mental health and addiction plans) and improve the quality of, and access to, mental health care in our community. A Guelph pilot would allow the government to test a promising solution that could be implemented province-wide.”
The letter, dated March 8, was publicly released on Friday.
IMPACT involves six mental health professionals stationed at Guelph police headquarters who attend crisis calls, once deemed safe by police, to help determine the immediate needs and safety level of individuals involved. Ultimately, it’s police who determine if someone needs to be apprehended and taken for a mental health assessment.
In the letter, local officials argue a 24/7 IMPACT program would reduce police hours spent at hospital and reduce health system costs. It’s estimated an additional $2 million in operating funds for the program would save the health care system $3.6 million.
During the 2021-2022 fiscal year to-date, IMPACT workers have attended 885 live calls with police and completed 332 after-the-fact referrals to local services/agencies, serving 1,195 unique individuals, states a post on the Guelph Police Service website.
Of those calls, 653 or 73.8 per cent did not result in a hospital visit, while 232 did. Sixty-six individuals were taken to hospital voluntarily, while 166 were taken into custody under the Mental Health Act.
When first implemented, the IMPACT team was available from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. It was expanded in January of last year to 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
