Utoo Radio - Port Moody BC - HealthIM, an innovative, evidence-based digital technology, will improve police response to mental-health and addiction emergencies in Port Moody.

Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said "Police personnel in our province have experienced firsthand the effects and hardships of responding to mental-health or substance-use crisis calls. HealthIM, a risk-screening tool, helps police de-escalate and handle mental-health incidents."

HealthIM is a digital public-safety system that improves emergency police response to mental-health and addiction crises, protecting first responders, health-care workers, and the crisis victim. The method will help the attending police officer comprehend the individual in crisis's behavior, improving their encounter.

Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said collaborative and coordinated crisis assessment and response can save lives and make first responders safer.

"This new technology allows police and health-care personnel to analyze and respond faster with more information, assuring appropriate support for people in need. This is a major step toward a more compassionate and effective mental-health and addictions system.”

A set of questions will help the responding officer assess the crisis victim. The technology would enable doctors and nurses adopt the same clinical language and give immediate information, improving their contact with health-care partners. Other benefits:

Assessing risk of harm to self or others enables effective help-seeking, provides trauma-informed responses, alerts health-care partners to emergency responders, and develops a risk-analysis history over time.
HealthIM supports the Safer Communities Action Plan's objective of healthy, safe communities for all. The plan improves collaboration between law enforcement, community service organizations, justice system actors, health providers, and addicts and mental-health patients to address community issues.

Many community safety reports, including the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act and the BC First Nations Justice Strategy, support the Safer Communities Action Plan.