From the June 22nd issue of Capital Health Update:
Beginning June 24, immediate mental health crisis support will be available 24 hours a day, every day.
Hundreds of people have called the Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team each month since the integrated service opened in June 2006. The number of people seeking help from the team is higher than expected and growing.
This is what prompted the IWK Health Centre to increase its funding to the service, which will enable the team to support people 24 hours a day by telephone. Until now, telephone crisis support was available from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily, leaving a four-hour gap in service. (Mobile support continues to be available in areas of Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.)
“The early morning hours can be an essential time to offer follow-up services for people who have called us the night before,” says Mary Pyche, service co-ordinator. “Operating 24/7 provides the opportunity for us to continue to support a person in crisis regardless of the time of day.”
At the heart of the team of mental health professionals and dedicated police officers who are the crisis service is the ability to support people in the moment – where and when they are experiencing a crisis. The team also provides follow-up support, which often includes connecting a person to other resources, and education.
The Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team began as part of the Healthy Minds Initiative and is a partnership of Capital Health, the IWK Health Centre, the Halifax Regional Police and the Nova Scotia Department of Health.
Crisis Support: 429-8167 or 1-800-429-8167
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