P.E.I. MLA says many police responses to crises better served by mobile mental health service
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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The cellular psychological well being service that started in P.E.I. two years in the past is taking criticism from opposition members of the legislative meeting.
The service is operated by Medavie, P.E.I.’s ambulance contractor, and doesn’t straight contain native police.
However those that name for assist in a psychological well being disaster don’t at all times attain the cellular service, and police are nonetheless responding to excessive numbers of calls.
On Nov. 8, Inexperienced MLA Peter Bevan-Baker requested the minister of well being, Mark McLane, if he was glad with the service, and the way he reacted to listening to in regards to the loss of life of Tyler Knockwood.
Police visited Knockwood a number of instances for wellbeing checks shortly earlier than his loss of life by suicide, however didn’t name the cellular psychological well being service.
Bevan-Baker urged the dysfunctional psychological well being service was chargeable for Knockwood’s loss of life.
“Seamless, dependable communications are actually important for this service to work nicely.… Just a few weeks in the past, Islanders realized {that a} important breakdown in communications has existed for the reason that inception of those items between the Metropolis of Charlottetown police and the items themselves.”
Police calls
Bevan-Baker additionally referenced numbers offered by employees on Oct. 18. to the standing committee on well being and social improvement that mentioned police had responded to greater than 2,000 psychological well being calls in 2022.
Nevertheless, in line with statistics from Charlottetown Police Providers (CPS) included within the bundle for month-to-month metropolis council conferences, CPS answered 1,390 requires Psychological Well being Act and wellbeing checks that 12 months. Requires 2023 have been as much as 1,840 by Oct. 10.
McLane mentioned the province is at all times engaged on the cellular service, and police nonetheless reply to some calls as a result of psychological well being crises generally overlap with criminality.
“We do look to Island police providers to grasp when they need to be deployed, so I feel they should err on the facet of warning after we they do obtain a name that could be clearly a psychological well being difficulty but additionally the protection.”
The cellular items and Charlottetown police use separate dispatchers, with the cellular items being related to 911. When somebody calls the police straight, they don’t at all times contact the cellular psychological well being service.
McLane mentioned the federal government is working to enhance co-ordination between the 2, although he didn’t decide to establishing a single dispatch for all emergencies.
Bevan-Baker requested about “erring on the facet of warning,” saying the province is doing the other.
“When can Islanders count on you to repair this unacceptable, horrible mess in order that no one else dies?”
McLane pointed to different assist out there for Islanders, such because the 988 suicide prevention line and follow-up with residents after they’re discharged from the hospital after a disaster.
Logan MacLean is a municipal reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He will be reached by electronic mail at [email protected] and adopted on X @loganmaclean94.
