SASKATOON – An innovative program that teams police officers with mental health workers has expanded with the Government of Saskatchewan’s support. The government announced Friday it is continuing its support of Saskatoon’s Police and Crisis Team (PACT) which will allow for two units to operate seven days a week in Saskatoon..
Each unit consists of a Saskatoon police member and a mental health worker from the Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service. They work in partnership to respond to mental health crises in the community.
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PACT aims to reduce risks to community safety and ensure patients receive appropriate medical assistance. Since the program began, the unit has taken over 80 mental health crises off the hands of the Saskatoon Police Service.
“I think there’s really positive outcomes for the person if they can get some care in the community some stabilized care in the community avoiding both the health system and the justice system on a larger level then it’s a win across multiple human service systems and really it’s a win for that person,” said Saskatoon police Inspector Mitch Yuzdepski.
PACT was expanded this past fall to include a second unit. Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice has provided $220,000 for two police officer positions while the Ministry of Health has provided $250,000 for the two mental health workers.
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“This is an opportunity as we look to try to transform the health care system we want to ensure in a patient and family centre type of health care system that we’re dealing with the right patient at the right location by the right care provider team and in a lot of cases in the past would end up with people that are in a crisis situation,” said Saskatchewan Health Minister Dustin Duncan.
After a successful pilot in 2012, the first unit of its kind in Saskatchewan started operating in June.
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