Police and crisis teams in Grande Prairie paying for themselves, study finds

A Grande Prairie crisis response unit that pairs RCMP officers with AHS psychiatric nurses is more than paying for itself, according to an ongoing study by the local college.

"This kind of program is extremely important for the health of the community," said principal investigator Connie Korpan, a psychology instructor at Grande Prairie Regional College.

"They're not just helping the individual involved, they're also helping the community at large through not tapping into resources, making it a more safe community, making it a more healthy community."

In 2015, Korpan helped launch the study of Grande Prairie's Police and Crisis Team unit and ways it can be improved.

According to her research, each two-member team pays for itself within about six months.

She estimates the social return on investment is about $2.40 for every $1 put into the unit.

The teams are able to de-escalate about 60 per cent of the situations they respond to, Korpan said, preventing the individuals they work with from being taken to hospital or the cells at Grande Prairie's RCMP detachment.

Instead, clients are helped by the team or referred to services and agencies that can address the issue that triggered the crisis.

One in 10 clients is intoxicated with drugs or alcohol and most have a history of substance abuse, Korpan said.

One in five has attempted suicide.

About 40 per cent of calls involve people who are not diagnosed with a mental health condition but are acting out with behavioural or emotional problems.

Calls can come from social outreach groups, homeless shelters or families in the community. They involve a range of clients, including seniors with dementia and street-involved people who may have a history of drug or alcohol use.

More teams needed, RCMP say

Grande Prairie formed its first team in 2009, with a second added in 2016. Together, they respond to roughly 800 calls a year.

The service is available during the day, seven days a week.

RCMP Supt. Donnan McKenna presented the numbers at a city infrastructure and protective services committee meeting last week.

He said Grande Prairie needs at least four more police and crisis teams to offer 24-7 service, though he acknowledged the extra positions are not currently in the city's budget.

"The difficulty with all of that is you'd need a similar amount of psychiatric nurses," McKenna told CBC News Monday. "Overnight there are some calls, but not enough to justify the cost right now."

'Continual loop of crisis'

Increasing the number of teams in Grande Prairie would allow the PACT unit to be more proactive with repeat clients, said Const. Darren Jensen.

The additional teams would free up more time for follow-up visits during the day with people who lean on RCMP and AHS services.

"If we can reach out to our known mental health clients and patients, we can reduce the number of ER visits, interactions with police, interactions with EMS by being there to help them even before they need the help," Jensen said.

Jensen is one of two RCMP officers in the city trained to work with psychiatric nurses as part of a police and crisis team.

He splits the work with his colleague, Const. Patrick McPhee.

Before joining the Grande Prairie PACT unit, McPhee said he wrestled with the idea of rushing from call to call without stopping to help someone who might be struggling with their mental health.

"As a police officer, you get to that point where you feel like you can't help them any more because my job is done," McPhee said.

The police and crisis teams are designed to address both the crisis, including any charges that need to be laid, as well as the underlying issue.

"A lot of these people, our clients, are habitual offenders," McPhee said. "They wind up taking up a huge amount of resources and we're not really fixing it; we're not really helping them; we're just spinning the rat wheel."

The PACT unit breaks the "continual loop of crisis," he said.

The two officers help the nurses on their teams work safely with clients who may be acting out physically during a mental health crisis.

About 40 per cent of PACT unit calls in Grande Prairie are considered high risk, in which an individual is a threat to themselves or other people.

"Not every situation is non-violent," said Jean Findlay, one of two registered psychiatric nurses working at the RCMP detachment on behalf of AHS.

"Crises can be where people are out of control and the RCMP help us regain that control."

The nurses can then refer clients to the appropriate resources, such as a counsellor or psychiatrist, she said.

"It gives people a positive message both on the AHS side and the RCMP side that we're there to help; we're there to support you; we're there to get you on the right path."

Korpan said her research suggests there is enough demand in Grande Prairie for six teams in total, including the two that are already responding to calls.

"The more PACT teams, the more calls are attended to, the more social return," she said. 

Korpan expects to complete her research and write a final report by September. She will then provide a list of recommendations to the city and RCMP, based on consultations with community agencies, first responders and people who have been helped by the PACT unit.

She expects her key recommendation will be that Grande Prairie needs to expand its PACT unit to meet community demand for the service.

@ZoeHTodd