The province has unveiled a new phone app for police to use when responding to someone facing a mental-health or addiction-related crisis.

Mental Health Minister Jennifer Whiteside and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced the app with a $2 million budget Wednesday morning (March 6) in Port Moody. The app, HealthIM, is set to launch in Port Moody on Thursday, but has already been in use in other police jurisdictions, such as Delta, Surrey and Prince George.

Farnworth said HealthIM guides a responding officer through a series of questions to help the officer understand the behaviour of the person who is in distress, providing B次元官网网址渧aluable insights into how to support individuls with prior police interactions.B次元官网网址�

According to Whiteside and Farnworth, HealthIM will help police officers assess individuals in crisis by connecting officers with health care providers.

The government has said that one-in-five interactions with police in B.C. involve someone with a mental health disorder.

B次元官网网址淭hanks to this new technology, police can work with health-care professionals to make assessments and respond faster with more information, ensuring appropriate support to those in need,B次元官网网址� Whiteside said.

Delta police officer James Sandberg said the detachment has been using the app since October 2019.

As for when itB次元官网网址檚 used, Sandberg said if Delta police officers are in a situation where someone could be apprehended, the use of the HealthIM platform is mandatory. He added that Delta police also asks its officers dealing with a person who is B次元官网网址渁pparently suffering from a mental disorder,B次元官网网址� but most likely wonB次元官网网址檛 be apprehended, to use the assessment tool through HealthIM if the person would benefit from a referral.

He said that as officers have become more comfortable using the program, itB次元官网网址檚 allowed them to make B次元官网网址渂etter decisionsB次元官网网址� when taking someone into custody.

The responding officer inputs the data into the app, which is then sent to the designated hospital. From there, it gives the hospital staff time to prepare for the patient, while the HealthIM system also translates the officerB次元官网网址檚 observations of the patient into the proper clinical language.

Natalie McCarthy, Fraser HealthB次元官网网址檚 vice-president of regional care integration, said itB次元官网网址檚 about teamwork and communication between health-care professionals and police.

B次元官网网址淒o we need to free up a space for that individual in a particular area of our care environment? Do we need to ensure particular staff are available? And are there things that can be communicated to us that are comforting, supportive and helpful for this individual that we can have in place to make sure that that transition goes as smoothly as possible?B次元官网网址�

RELATED:

The system does not replace existing training for police officers, when dealing with individuals experiencing mental-health or addiction emergencies, but promises to be another tool to improve interactions.

In July 2023, the province announced Mobile Integrated Crisis Response teams would be funded in nine additional communities. Also known as Car program, the teams pair a police officer with a health-care professional to respond to mental health calls.

Whiteside said the HealthIM app wouldnB次元官网网址檛 replace the crisis teams, but those teams could use the app as an additional resource.

Anita Furlan, vice-president of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police, said she welcomes the app.

B次元官网网址淟aw-enforcement officers frequently serve as the first line of response to emergency mental- health crises,B次元官网网址� Furlan said. B次元官网网址淯ltimately, this system not only safeguards the public, police, medical staff and individuals in crisis, but also fosters a safer and more supportive community for all.B次元官网网址�

Sandberg said with the funding through the association, it costs about $1 million per year for all police departments to access the app.