A new Mobile Crisis Response Team has launched through a partnership between Grey Bruce and South Bruce OPP, and Grey Bruce Health Services.

Officially launched on November 28, 2022, the new Mobile Crisis Response Team will see a GBHS clinician stationed at Grey Bruce and South Bruce OPP detachments. The clinician will respond with police to calls involving crisis and mental health situations. The GBHS clinicians will provide services including but not limited to de-escalation, safety planning and stabilization, referrals to appropriate services for long term support, and recovery-oriented interventions, according to a release from the OPP.

Three clinicians have been hired to serve the Mobile Crisis Response Team and they will be stationed in Wiarton, Chatsworth and Kincardine.

“As a member of the Community Safety and Well Being Advisory Committee – Bruce Grey, it came to our attention that the mental health of community members, and the support and resources available to them was a number one concern. This program is instrumental in addressing those concerns and providing some of our most vulnerable community members with the immediate help they need, and the proper resources required for long term support,” shared Staff Sergeant Debra Anderson of the Grey Bruce OPP.

“One of the many benefits of this program is the ability to provide community members experiencing crisis with in-vivo supports, aimed at de-escalating crisis situations and providing immediate recovery-focused, mental health interventions to create successful outcomes for the individual, their loved ones, and the community as a whole,” added GBHS Manager Shannon Reinelt.