A new Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) is now working out of the Nipissing West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police.
The team launched in January and includes a police officer (P/C Serge Sicard) and a health partner (Tiffany MacKinnon) responding to support individuals experiencing crisis as a result of mental health or addiction issues.
Provincial Police and the Alliance Centre collaborated to develop the team, with funding received from the province.
“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,” says Lynn Perreault, Alliance Centre Program Manager.
She says being a present and collaborative community partner is a high priority for the centre.
“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,” says Inspector William McMullen.
Police say if anyone is suffering from mental health or addictions issues and needs non-urgent support that does not require police intervention, a wide range of service providers in the community can be found on the West Nipissing General Hospital’s website: https://www.wngh.ca/programs-services/