West Nipissing Ouest – Sturgeon Falls, Verner, St Charles, Field and Area News (WEST NIPISSING, ON) – On January 9, 2023, the Nipissing West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) launched a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT).
“MCRT” refers to a team consisting of a police officer (P/C Serge Sicard) and a health partner (Tiffany MacKinnon) who respond collaboratively to support individuals experiencing crisis as a result of mental health or addictions issues. In the Nipissing West MCRT model, a registered mental health nurse will be embedded with the police to respond to crisis calls as a team. This team-oriented approach will provide persons in crisis, their families, and caregivers with timely and appropriate crisis intervention in cases that require a police response, by proactively involving a mental health professional to attend and provide support on scene.
The development of MCRT in Nipissing West has been made possible through a collaboration between the OPP and the Alliance Centre (West Nipissing General Hospital). The funding to support this program was received from the Province of Ontario who established the Community Safety and Policing (CSP) Grant program to support police services/boards in combating crime and keeping Ontario communities safe.
Inspector McMullen has said “The OPP continues to seek opportunities to evolve and enhance our service delivery model by collaborating with our community stakeholders to improve outcomes for our citizens who are struggling. We are very fortunate to have developed such a strong partnership with Alliance Centre (West Nipissing General Hospital) to provide a new service to the community and hopefully improve outcomes and enhance access to care”
The Program Manager of Alliance Centre, Lynn Perreault has said, “Being a present and collaborative community partner is a high priority for the West Nipissing General Hospital’s Alliance Centre. The MCRT partnership with the OPP will allow the Team to continue to proactively work with individuals who suffer from mental health and or substance abuse issues to ensure that they are accessing proper services.”
If you or someone you know are suffering from mental health or addictions issues and need support that is non-urgent and does not require police intervention, the OPP would like to remind you that there are many service providers in the Nipissing West Detachment catchment that are ready and able to assist you. To learn more about a wide range of service providers in the community, visit:
West Nipissing area www.wngh.ca/programs-
Sudbury area hsnsudbury.ca/en/