Region continues to study non-police led crisis response team

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express

The region is continuing its investigation into a non-police led crisis response team despite delays caused by the pandemic.

Durham’s Health and Social Services Committee was recently shown the progress on a non-police led crisis response team, as well as a number of models staff hope to emulate.

Successful models have included teams of two, often with a paramedic and trained social worker, crisis responder, or mental health nurse.

They also visually operate differently from police, but collaborate with police, paramedics, hospitals, and community stakeholders.

According to the presentation from Director of Family Services Marusia Laschuk and Deputy Chief of Paramedic Services John Riches, trained 911 operators or dispatch services will determine what are classified as non-violent or mental health incidents, and dispatch non-police led teams as necessary.

One example Laschuk and Riches looked at is out of Stockholm, Sweden.

The Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PAM) is staffed with two psychiatric nurses and a paramedic, who use their training to collaborate with police, ambulance, and rescue services.

The uniforms they wear identify them as “caregivers,” instead of law enforcement.

In this model, one nurse may deal with the patient, while the other works with concerned family or witnesses.

If the situation escalates and police are needed, they can get involved under the PAM model.

During the first year PAM was implemented in Stockholm, it was requested 1,580 times, and attended to 1,254 cases, averaging 4.3 requests and 3.4 cases daily.

One-third of the cases didn’t require any action after psychiatric assessment, and on-site crisis intervention.

The Stockholm psychiatric emergency department noticed a drop in visits the month PAM was initiated, and 70 per cent of patients by-passed emergency departments for more appropriate care.

Clarington Councillor Granville Anderson praised this model in particular.

“I believe it’s a good model,” he says, but he notes some concern about what happens when police don’t know it’s a mental health issue.

According to Riches, police do receive some mental health training.

“We do the best we can with the situation at hand,” he says.

Oshawa Councillor and Chair of the Health and Social Services Committee Bob Chapman notes this is an issue identified when the long-time councillor was a police officer.

While measures have been taken, he believes there haven’t been enough.

“The unfortunate thing was there wasn’t enough of them to make it [24/7],” he says, adding the region has made a start with the Primary Care Outreach Program.

Other programs looked at include Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets (CAHOOTS) out of Eugene, OR; Support Team Assisted Response out of Denver, CO; and the Community Health Paramedic Teams (CHP).

The next steps include a holistic, multi-disciplinary coordinated approach to meet the needs for mental health responses.

Staff also need to continue working with stakeholders and partners, such as Durham Regional Police Services, Lakeridge Health, Ontario Shores and others, says the committee.