Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard and outgoing Police Chief Bruce Connell at a mental health announcement in Saint John, N.B. on Friday, February 21st, 2020. (Tamara Steele/CHSJ News)
The province will partner with the Saint John Police on a three-year pilot project to improve mental health crisis services.
The Department of Social Development will provide $900,000 for an Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Team to provide on-site acute addiction and mental health needs assessments and specialized crisis intervention.
Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard said she worked with outgoing interim Chief Bruce Connell for about a year on this.
“This crisis unit is going to be revolutionary in how we help people on the ground. There is follow-up. On the ground assistance in real-time with a plainclothes police officer and a mental health professional, ” Shephard said.
Two child protection social workers will work directly out of offices at the police headquarters in Peel Plaza in Saint John.
Outgoing Saint John Police Chief Bruce Connell says the collaboration is what makes the difference.
“Think about one of our members being at a call and seeing something that’s not quite right in a family and having that conversation with a social worker when they come back. That is the piece of the puzzle that we have been missing,” Connell said.
Chief Connell says Dr. Mary Ann Campbell of UNB Saint John with help from some graduate students will monitor the success of the pilot project.
“It makes it much more transparent by having academics review our work,” Connell said.
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