Manitoba government is investing over $310,000 from the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund in a new tool that will allow nine police agencies to improve how they respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis with the goal of de-escalating potentially dangerous situations, it was announced Monday.

“These police agencies understand that there is a need for this tool everywhere in every community to help our front-line officers, the people in crisis and the broader community”, said Justice Minister Cliff Cullen.

With the funding, police forces in Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne, Winkler, Altona, Morden and Rivers along with the Manitoba First Nations Police Service and RCMP detachments in Steinbach, Thompson and Portage la Prairie will install an evidence-based HealthIM risk assessment tool in patrol cars and on other mobile devices. When police respond to a call and find a person in a mental health crisis, the tool will help them determine the most appropriate response based on their observations and an assessment of the potential risks.

Manitoba is investing over $310,000 in a new tool that will allow nine police agencies to improve how they respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis, with the goal of de-escalating potentially dangerous situations, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced today.

With this funding, the Winnipeg Police Service, Brandon Police Service, Manitoba First Nations Police Service, Ste. Anne Police Department, Winkler Police Service, Altona Police Service, Morden Police Service, Rivers Police Department and RCMP detachments in Steinbach, Thompson and Portage la Prairie will install an evidence-based risk assessment tool called HealthIM in patrol cars and on other mobile devices. When police respond to a call and find a person in a mental health crisis, the tool will help them determine the most appropriate response based on their observations and an assessment of the potential risks.

CORNWALL – A new Cornwall police-led crisis team, focusing on freeing up police and hospital resources dealing with mental health cases, is already seeing results.

And the need is there, Cornwall police Insp. Shawna Spowart (now deputy chief-designate) highlighted to the police board Wednesday morning, with a 155 per cent jump in mental health calls in the last decade and a 65 per cent increase alone between 2016 and 2017.

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As for front-line officers, as part of an improved vulnerable sector strategy, officers are also equipped with a software called Health IM. An officer answers 33 questions on their observations on a call. It takes about five minutes and that information is relayed to the Cornwall Community Hospital in order to speed up assessment and treatment by doctors.

Like all police officers, Insp. Cory Lindskog has responded to many mental health crisis calls during his career — some of which he can only describe as heartbreaking.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” Lindskog said. “First of all, it’s being able to determine that this person is in crisis and needs help, and then trying to figure out what kind of help this person needs.”

Police officers in Regina and Saskatoon are using a software application called HealthIM to evaluate a person’s mental state. When patrol members arrive at a call, they use the app — which is installed on laptops in their patrol cars — to assess the risk the individual presents to himself or others.

The new screening and documentation tool works through collaboration with the Smiths Falls police, Lanark County Mental Health and the Smiths Falls location of the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital

The number of calls to the Cornwall Community Police Service involving mental health crises has risen by an eye-popping 255 per cent over the past decade, with an increase of 27 per cent in 2016-17 – from 342 to 436.

The force is responding to this increasingly everyday part of police work by deciding to have its own in-house specialists with the advanced mental health training to respond while also working to help prevent them in the first place.

Guelph Police are teaming up with the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Guelph General Hospital to speed up the process when dealing with calls involving mental health issues.

Brantford police and St. Leonard's Community Services are using a $500,000 grant to build a system to help people with mental health problems get the help they need faster.

With the new HealthIM software in the hands of the Cobourg Police Service, Northumberland Hills Hospital president and chief executive officer Linda Davis is confident of improved outcomes in crisis situations that involve individuals with mental-health issues.

The Cobourg Police Service now has a new tool available to them when responding to crisis calls that deal with mental health challenges.

Effective June 6, the local service will adopt the innovative new mental health crisis response system called HealthIM.

Ontario has committed to funding 15 innovative health technologies via grants from the new Health Technologies Fund (HTF). The grants support the development of software and mobile devices that focus on the delivery of better home and community care. These projects will undergo assessment and evaluation over the next 18 to 24 months to facilitate their success for adoption and scalability in Ontario's innovative health care system.

At home and abroad, Canadian companies are using new technologies to help police forces solve cold cases and deal with 21st century threats

More people struggling with mental health issues are getting the help they need under a new community-wide collaborative approach that combines the expertise of police officers and social workers.

"This has been a game changer," Chuck Dowdall, the executive director of St. Leonard's Community Services, said Wednesday of the approach, which includes the efforts of St. Leonard's, Brantford police and the Brant Community Healthcare System and other agencies.

"Brantford police have partnered with several social work and mental health agencies to develop a new collaborative community mental health response strategy called the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT). At a press conference on Wednesday April 20 the initiative was unveiled and media was given the opportunity to ask questions. “As an agency we want to be able to provide the right service at the right place at the right time to the individual,” said Chuck Dowdall, executive director of St. Leonard’s Community Services (SLCS). ”This initiative speaks volumes to how this community has come together to make sure a person receives the right service at the right time and at the right place. It also ensures there will be no gaps in service going forward for these individuals needing assistance.”

HealthIM, a software company seeking to improve the treatment of people with mental illness in emergency situations, was among the big winners at the Velocity Fund Finals held yesterday at the University of Waterloo. Velocity is an entrepreneurship program at Waterloo, and the Velocity Garage is set to be the world's largest free business incubator, thanks to a new partnership with Google and Communitech, announced yesterday.