A pilot program designed to provide more on the street help for those struggling with substance use and mental health issues received over 1,600 calls for service in its first year.
The Nurse and Police Team (NPT) program has paired nursing professionals from Windsor Regional Hospital with frontline Windsor police officers with the goal of responding to non-emergency, substance use-related incidents.
The program sees the officer-nurse teams trying to provide proactive care to individuals struggling with substance use disorder and related challenges while connecting individuals in need with the appropriate support services, steering them away from the criminal justice system and hospital emergency rooms.
Since launching the weekend of May 12, 2023, the NTP has received over 1,600 calls for service, ranging from treating substance-related wounds or even overdose situations.
Jonathan Foster, Vice President for Emergency and Mental Health at Windsor Regional Hospital, says 559 of those calls involved people who would have been brought to the emergency department if it weren't for the partnership between the nurses and the police.
Foster says what they've found is the nurse and police officer working together creates a really great dynamic.
"When they talk to individuals on the street, they feel really comforted with the nurse and the security and peace of mind with having the police officer there," he says. "The officer and the nurse use their expertise together to create really unique and very tailored plans for the people they're working with in the community."
Foster says one of the thing they track is how they help someone and how effective is the interaction.
"Do we stop unnecessary emergency department visits after we've had interactions with them? In many cases, we do. Some individuals have 50 to 70 percent fewer emergency visits after we have this interaction with them," he says. "Although the need is going up, when we come forward with strategies that really are effective, it just makes a difference for the community overall."
Foster says they have been working with provincial health officials to demonstrate the viability of the program in the hope of securing provincial funding for the effort.
"We really believe in coming forward with evidence and data first, so that we're asking for support for something that's working, not just an idea we haven't tried yet," he adds.
The program is costing the hospital $330,000 a year, which helps fund one nurse, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, along with other expenses.