A year since its launch last June, Fort St. John RCMP detachment commander Insp. Tony Hanson said Car 60 is a success, and they’re continuing to work with Northern Health to find options to expand the program.
The next step would be to add another mental health professional to the team, says Hanson, noting it doesn’t necessarily have to be a nurse.
“We’ve had some conversations with Northern Health managers in this department and they’re looking to try to get additional staff,” said Hanson.
Hanson spoke highly of the program’s current clinician, Meaghan Mallough, and said she’s done phenomenal work utilizing her background in mental health in combination with the Northern Health database – tailoring care to the needs of patients.
“You can see patient histories, and medications, and all those things that help make informed decisions, along with her experience that we have access to,” said Hanson. “So, it’s been a success, I just really want to be able to scale it up.”
Fort St. John RCMP responded to 349 calls for mental health in 2021, and 297 in 2022.
Putting medical decisions in more appropriate hands and speeding up access to the ER are just two areas which Car 60 greatly helps, said Hanson, reiterating that police were never intended to be social workers or medical practitioners.
“Police are not medical practitioners, we’re not social workers, and we shouldn’t be. So, the more systems we can get in those areas, the better it will be for everybody,” said Hanson.
It’s not the first time Hanson has been involved with Car 60, who headed a unit in Prince George’s before coming to the Peace.
“The reality is that police will always be called, but we’re not always the best solution – so we’re trying something new,” Hanson said last June.
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