'It's about saving lives': Pilot mental health crisis response program becomes permanent
A pilot project partnership between the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) and Shared Health to reduce the workload of emergency responders is now becoming a permanent resource available to help more people in mental health crisis.
The Alternative Response to Citizens in Crisis (ARCC) program began in December 2021, created in response to an increase in mental health-related police calls. The program sent plainclothes officers to non-criminal, non-emergent crises to better support the needs of those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Now, the Manitoba government is providing $414,000 to expand the program after a successful initial run. The money will pay for the program’s transition to an ongoing mental health intervention response.
"The funding will also be used to expand access to ARCC programming from 5 to 7 days a week," said Mental Health and Community Wellness Minister Janice Morley-Lecomte.
The 18-month pilot project responded to 882 incidents related to 530 different clients. It's being credited with freeing up police resources and reducing pressure on emergency rooms. The province said 91 per cent of clients were able to remain in the community after treatment.
Insp. Helen Peters said the success of the ARCC program proves that a collaborative, multi-agency approach can work. "It's about saving lives and bringing hope back to situations that might feel hopeless," she said.
Peters added that ARCC is available to anyone who needs it.
- With files from CTV’s Michelle Gerwing
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.