Vancouver city council to vote on expanding emergency response teams

Vancouver’s city council is set to vote Tuesday on a motion to put $2.8 million toward expanding crisis response teams, including the hiring of 58 additional mental health workers.

The money would go to the organization Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) in the form of a grant to scale up the mental health crisis response in the city.

Included in the money is the plan to expand the Car 87/88 program which pairs a police officer with a mental health nurse to handle non-emergency situations in order to give people in crisis more support and free up other officers to handle serious crimes in the community.

Dr Shimi Kang, a psychiatrist and clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), said the funding is greatly needed.

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“I think in general, mental health is underfunded, under-resourced, and under-supported. The more professionals that have training in the police force, fire, and other community organizations, is definitely a step in the right direction,” Kang said.

Emily Jenkins, the Canada research chair in socio-ecological approaches to mental health and substance use at UBC, adds that anything that can be done to address the situation is welcomed.

“There can be a reduction in the number of ER visits that happen and the criminalization of people who are experiencing mental health crises. As it stands right now, any calls for crisis support and response is certainly welcome and helpful,” Jenkins said.

Kang said there has been a rise in people facing mental health challenges.

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“This is a global issue. Even pre-pandemic, we were seeing rising rates of anxiety, depression, addiction, and a system that really wasn’t equipped for it. This has been predicted for several decades and we’re seeing it come to fruition now,” Kang explained.

Kang said that mental health support should be available for both the new healthcare workers and those on the frontline.

“If this vote passes through, these new health professionals, and definitely the existing frontline workers, we all have to remember they’ve been through their own trauma,” she said.

“These professionals are facing really traumatic situations. We need to provide mental health support for them as well, in terms of debriefing, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, therapies, and services, and really take care of the professionals that are taking care of their communities,” Kang said.

The city is set to vote on the funding on Feb. 14.

With files from James Paracy and Cole Schisler