Windsor police and hospitals expand support for people with mental health and substance use challenges
Windsor police are partnering with healthcare providers to expand support for those experiencing substance use and mental health challenges as part of a downtown initiative.
Police Chief Jason Bellaire, announced on Wednesday important updates and expansions to the partnerships with Windsor Regional Hospital and Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.
He said these expanded partnerships will enable them to better help people experiencing mental health and substance use challenges.
“Police are responding to an ever-increasing number of calls for service that involve individuals struggling with challenges related to mental health and substance use. Through our partnerships with Windsor Regional Hospital and Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, we are taking proactive steps to serve our community’s most vulnerable populations while freeing up police resources to focus on crime prevention and public safety,” said Bellaire.
The developments are the latest step in the Strengthen the Core: Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan, a comprehensive strategy that aims to marshal municipal resources to support a safer and more vibrant downtown.
Nurse Police Team
Windsor Police and Windsor Regional Hospital are excited to share that the Nurse Police Team (NPT) program has been extended from three days to seven days per week.
Initially launched as a pilot project in May 2023, the NPT program is a data-driven strategy that pairs frontline police officers with nursing professionals to deliver proactive healthcare to people struggling with substance use. The initiative steers individuals away from the criminal justice system and reduces the strain on our already overcrowded hospital emergency departments.
The NPT program previously operated only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays when the demand for service was highest. However, following a successful trial period, the NPT program will now run daily, from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.Windsor police and Windsor Regional Hospital officials in front of the Emergency Department in Windsor, Ont. (Source: Windsor police)
“Unique partnerships like NPT are making a real difference by addressing healthcare issues for individuals who have difficulties receiving any level of medical care short of the emergency department. Due to barriers in accessing health care, often their health issues go untreated and develop into a crisis or emergency – whether this is a medical issue or a mental health and addictions issue. By attending to these individuals during higher demand hours, in their setting and also addressing issues proactively has avoided emergency room visits which benefits the system as a whole,” said Jonathan Foster, vice president of Emergency and Mental Health at WRH.
Police say the initiative’s impact in the community has been significant. Over its first year, the NPT handled 1,645 calls for service, distributed 240 dosages of the life-saving medication Naloxone, referred 905 people to community resources, and diverted 563 potential visits from hospital emergency rooms.
Closely linked to another partnership between Windsor Police and Windsor Regional Hospital, the NPT program has contributed to the unprecedented improvements in officer wait times at hospital with people in crisis.
Crisis Response Team
Since 2009, Windsor Police and Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare have provided care to people in crisis through several police teams. The success of these teams, alongside continued mental health challenges in our community, has created a need for expansion.
Officials announced the new Crisis Response Team (CRT), which will continue pairing frontline police officers with social workers who have expertise in mental health and de-escalation techniques. The CRT replaces the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT) and the Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST) in the City of Windsor. A separate COAST team will continue to serve the Amherstburg community.
The CRT program pairs crisis intervention (CIT) trained frontline police officers with dedicated CIT-trained social workers. These teams assist individuals presenting with symptoms of mental illness, substance use, and behavioural disorders, as well as people in acute crisis situations within Windsor. Annually, these teams divert over 90% of the clients they see away from the emergency department and serve as valuable experts in de-escalation during crisis situations.
The CRT has increased operations from five days to seven days per week, from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., providing overlap coverage during peak hours and reducing the number of calls to which patrol units must respond. The initiative will modernize, streamline, and enhance critical service delivery to the community while supporting all frontline first responders.
In 2023, Windsor Police responded to more than 3,078 calls for service involving people in crisis –an 11.3% increase over the previous year.
“For almost 15 years, the Windsor-Essex community has been served by policing teams, as a result of a partnership between Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and local policing. These teams have had success in deescalating and supporting individuals experiencing mental health crises in our community. The evolution of the Windsor based COAST team and MCRRT police teams will continue on the foundation of this work with a goal to reduce the number of individuals presenting in local emergency departments,” said Bill Marra, president and CEO of HDGH.
Strengthen the Core: Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan
After receiving unanimous approval from Windsor City Council, the ‘Strengthen the Core: Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan’ is moving forward to address safety and security, increase the number of businesses, attract new residents and visitors, and make significant improvements to the City’s core.
“The City’s ‘Strengthen the Core: Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan’ continues to gain momentum with this important announcement from the Windsor Police Service and our healthcare partners. The plan’s first critical action item, ‘Safe Streets,’ called for and supported this expansion and additional resources for the Nurse Police Team and the Crisis Response Team,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens.Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Rich Garton/CTV News Windsor)
The $3.2-million plan includes seven initial action items – Safe Streets, High Standards, Healthy Spaces, Place-Making, Vibrant District, ‘Our Downtown’, and Stronger Together – to support the development and evolution of our community. The strategy involves many cross-sectoral partnerships with community stakeholders, including a strong partnership with the Windsor Police Service and Windsor’s healthcare partners, to realize the overall goals of the plan. To learn more, visit the Strengthen the Core web page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.