Calgary to pilot mental health and addictions crisis response team in partnership with police

The Alex Community Health Centre has been selected to lead the 12-month crisis response pilot project, which will be focused on several east Calgary neighbourhoods.

The Calgary Police Service in partnership with a local community organization is set to begin a different approach to responding to mental health crisis calls.

The Alex Community Health Centre has been selected to operate a community mobile crisis response project, which will be piloted over the next 12 months in district four, an area that covers several neighbourhoods in east Calgary.

The response model is described as “person-centred,” which will see teams respond to mental health and addictions crisis, as well as domestic situations where there isn’t a safety threat.

“We recognize that uniformed police officers aren’t always the best option for those experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis,” Calgary police chief Mark Neufeld said at a press conference Tuesday. “However, police have become the default response for those in community particularly outside of regular business hours and into the weekends.”

Each mobile crisis team will have two support workers trained in mental health and addiction distress, who will respond to non-emergency 911 calls and the 211 distress centre. The teams will be accompanied by a plainclothes police officer for the first few months of the pilot.

According to Joy Bowen-Eyre, CEO of The Alex, the support workers will be people with professional backgrounds and those with lived experience who will be trained in suicide intervention, crisis mental health and de-escalation, crisis intervention, Naloxone administration, trauma-informed care, and Indigenous awareness, among others.

The teams will connect people with case managers to facilitate a “continued connection” to determine how to address longer-term needs.

“They don’t want to be stigmatized, but they need help when they need help and they need a response when they call for a response,” Bowen-Eyre said. “That’s the critical piece about connecting all these pieces.”