A new partnership in Elgin County aims to improve outcomes for people experiencing a mental health crisis who come into contact with police.
St. Thomas Police Service and CMHA Elgin have announced a one-year partnership project which will assign a dedicated, full-time mental health response worker from the branch to work alongside local officers to provide support.
“Delivering mental health services in the community promotes faster recovery for people in crisis” CMHA Executive Director Heather DeBruyn told the St.Thomas-Elgin Weekly News. “This partnership will allow us to intervene early and to quickly link people experiencing a mental health crisis to community-based services.”
The program also includes mental health education, including Mental Health First Aid training for all officers, as well as promoting officer well-being to prevent development of operational stress injuries like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
For more information on the new partnership, read the article in the St.Thomas-Elgin Weekly News.