British Columbia is spending $3 million to expand a program that partners health-care workers with police to respond to mental-health-related calls.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the program aim is to connect people in crisis to the appropriate services in their community and take pressure off stretched police resources.
New teams are being funded for Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Penticton, Vernon, Squamish, Prince Rupert and the Westshore on southern Vancouver Island. Similar programs already exist in 10 B.C. communities including Kamloops, Victoria, Surrey and Vancouver. The government says one in five interactions with police in B.C. involve someone with a mental-health disorder.
Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Jennifer Whiteside did not provide a specific timeline for when the new programs would be running, but says she anticipates them in “fairly short order.”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
British Columbia wildfires prompt more than 70 evacuation orders, alertsWildfires in British Columbia have prompted more than 70 current evacuation alerts or orders, with many clustered in the province's central Interior.
Read more »
British Columbia wildfires prompt more than 70 evacuation orders, alertsWildfires in B.C. have prompted more than 70 current evacuation alerts or orders, with many clustered in the province's central Interior.
Read more »
British Columbia wildfires prompt more than 70 evacuation orders, alertsThe British Columbia government says military support is arriving for deployment after the province asked for Ottawa’s help in fighting hundreds of wildfires.
Read more »
B.C. wildfires on the rise amid drought, federal help on the wayThe number of wildfires in British Columbia continues to rise amid persistent drought, and federal aid — including military resources — is on the way.
Read more »
B.C. wildfires on the rise amid drought, federal help on the wayThe number of wildfires in British Columbia continues to rise amid persistent drought, and federal aid is on the way.
Read more »
Federal and international help on the way as new wildfires erupt in B.C.The province has requested 1,000 additional foreign firefighters to join 160 from Mexico and the United States already in British Columbia
Read more »