Pattison Media file photo

By Liam Verster

Mobile Integrated Crisis Response

Province supporting Vernon’s mental health and substance response

Dec 1, 2023 | 1:46 PM

Vernon’s new mental health and substance use response team is benefiting from some provincial support.

The Mobile Integrated Crisis Response (MICR) team came online in Vernon in mid-November and sees three psychiatric nurses responding to mental health and substance use related calls with members of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP.

By responding to these types on calls on the frontline, the team can de-escalate situations and connect individuals with the supports and services they require.

“I am so grateful that those in crisis due to mental-health challenges will now be met with care and compassion from trained mental-health professionals in their greatest time of need,” Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee, said.

“With the new MICR team in Vernon, individuals in crisis will be met with comprehensive care and a clear path to the support they need.”

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Vernon is one of nine communities receiving a portion of the $3-million in provincial funding dedicated to expanding the service across B.C. The other communities already benefiting from this program are Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam, Burnaby, Abbotsford and Chilliwack, with teams set to be established in Penticton, Squamish, Prince Rupert and on the Westshore.

“When police officers work alongside mental-health experts, it best serves those who are in a moment of crisis or distress,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

“By combining front-line workers’ expertise, Vernon’s MICR team is strengthening the ability to respond to public-safety challenges, better protecting communities, while connecting people in crisis to the appropriate services they need, when they need them. This initiative is a crucial component of our ongoing efforts to create a safer, more inclusive province.”

The teams serving their communities, including the local three-nurse team in Vernon, are a collaboration of the province and health authorities throughout B.C.

“People experiencing a mental-health or substance-use crisis should be met with support and compassion to address their immediate needs and then be connected with appropriate supports to move them toward recovery,” Susan Brown, president and CEO of Interior Health, stated.

“Our ultimate goal is to foster an inclusive, supportive and understanding environment, where individuals who struggle with mental health or substance use feel empowered to seek help and compassion without fear of judgment or stigma.”

MCRI teams already operate in Kelowna, Kamloops, Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey, Richmond, Nanaimo, Prince George and Fort St. John.

“When people are in distress because of a mental-health emergency and they call police, we need to take the right steps to provide them with the care they need to stay safe and meet them where they are at,” Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said.

“With the new Mobile, Integrated Crisis Response team in Vernon, people in crisis will be met with appropriate, compassionate and comprehensive care, and a clear path to the help they need, supporting them on their road to wellness.”

The MICR teams are part of the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction’s $1-billion investment to expand access to mental-health and addictions care services in B.C.