SASKATCHEWAN – After a year-long pilot, the provincial RCMP has decided to keep the psychiatric nurses at its Operational Communication Centre as a permanent fixture.
The program began at the end of May, 2021 with two nurses available to provide assistance to 911 callers experiencing a mental health crisis, and also to RCMP members that respond to mental health crisis calls.
“This is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” said one caller during the pilot program. “Thank you for being able to talk to me and get me help.”
Results proved the specialized staff to be a much-needed resource. Over the year, 99.8 per cent of callers reporting a mental health crisis agreed to speak with a nurse.
“I was treated like a person,” said another caller. “To have someone there at the lowest point in my life really made a difference in how I got through the crisis and how I feel about the RCMP. Police officers haven't always been my best friends, but I understand now they are there to support me and offer me assistance.”
Of those callers assessed, 80 per cent were able to receive immediate referrals to mental health and addiction services. Many of the callers (71 per cent) also avoided being driven by a peace officer to an emergency department for diagnosis and/or treatment.
“It feels nice to know, when going out on these calls, that we have someone in our back pocket with the expertise and knowledge to allow us to provide a valuable service and referrals for the people we see going through a crisis,” said one RCMP officer.
The OCC provides this assistance with a staff of between six and 12 operators and one nurse at a time.
“It is so helpful to have another option besides taking persons in crisis to cells or hospitals, when neither are great options most of the time,” said another officer. “I am so grateful the nurses do thorough assessments and put in the supports right away.”
In a recent announcement, the number of nurses has been doubled, offering services Monday to Thursday from noon to midnight, and 24 hours a day over the weekend.
“We are extremely happy to see our project come to fruition,” said Jocelyn James, Manager of the Saskatchewan RCMP Operational Communication Centre. ‘We worked hard to adapt a European model to the reality of Saskatchewan’s remote regions, and to develop processes that allow two very different professions to work together. It was all well worth it.”
“Today, the four nurses are fully trained, they have spent the last three weeks gathering experience and they are ready for the holiday season – the season during which, unfortunately, we see an increase in mental health calls every year,” she continued. “Having personally followed the nurses during the past year, I know the registered nurses in our Communication Centre will make a difference in the lives of people who call this season.”
A collaboration between RCMP and the Saskatchewan Health Authority, the target of this program has always been to provide people in crisis with the right response at the right time.
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