NYGH and Toronto Police Service: A community partnership
North York General Hospital has partnered with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) to launch a new Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT).
MCITs consist of a specially trained police officer and a mental health nurse who respond to 9-1-1 emergency and police dispatch calls, 7 days a week between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. In this program, the police officer and the registered nurse respond to calls for assistance for individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis. The officer and nurse together assess the individual's specific needs, provide intervention and support at the scene, de-escalate the situation, and ensure the person is connected to appropriate services. The MCIT provides a secondary response to 911 calls involving individuals experiencing a psychiatric or emotional crisis that requires intervention.
“Our psychiatric nurses, together with the police, are able to complete a thorough crisis assessment in the field and connect the individual to appropriate resources,” said Sandy Marangos, Director, Mental Health and Emergency Services, NYGH. “It is all about bringing resources to the individual, when they need it, where they need it, as well as offering individuals experiencing a crisis an alternative to visiting the emergency department.”
NYGH is the sixth hospital to partner with Toronto Police Services in the MCIT program.
"The latest Mobile Crisis Intervention Team is an important and valued partnership between the Toronto Police Service, North York General Hospital, the Local Health Integration Networks, and our communities,” said TPS Supt. Scott Gilbert, Project Lead for MCITs. “We provide inclusive and respectful policing services to persons in crisis or suffering from a mental health issue."