File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

CAR-40 EXPANSION

RCMP and Interior Health expanding Car 40 program in Kamloops

Dec 1, 2022 | 2:28 PM

KAMLOOPS — Interior Health, in partnership with the B.C. RCMP Southeast Division, has announced changes to the PAC program in Kelowna and the Car 40 program in Kamloops that sees nurses accompany police officers on the street. The new teams will be called ‘Integrated Crisis Support Teams’ moving forward.

Interior Health CEO Susan Brown confirmed that the programs in both communities will now be operational 12-hours-per-day, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., seven days a week. The 8-to-8 shift was chosen based on crime statistics provided by the RCMP on when mental health calls were received.

“These teams are one example of a crisis response but an important one and one that we understand plays a role in the overall continuum of crisis response. Today, we are announcing that Interior Health and the RCMP are enhancing these successful partnership programs in Kamloops and Kelowna by hiring additional staff in each community. Additional nurses will now be available to join additional officers with special training in crisis response,” said Brown.

Along with new nurses to bolster the staff in Kamloops to three, the RCMP will also be assigning a third officer to the team in Kamloops. The chief superintendent of the RCMP’s Southeast Division noted that over the past few years mental health calls across the region have seen a steady rise.

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“In 2021, we received 17,484 calls for service, that is a 16 per cent increase from 2019. For apprehensions in 2021, we recorded 3,238, a 21 per cent increase from 2019. The statistics demonstrate how important this work is and I am confident that our combined efforts will continue to make a positive difference in the spirit of my vision of a model that has a health clinician available to support a police officer at every person in crisis call,” said Brad Haugli.