 Hello, I'm Adam Palmer, Chief of the Vancouver Police Department. For many years, the VPD has been working with our community partners to lessen the impact that mental illness has on our community, on policing resources, on health care services, and most importantly, on those living with mental health issues. The police are not mental health professionals. We recognized early on that we need to collaborate with experts in the field. Some of the people we encounter who struggle with mental health issues are also dealing with substance abuse issues and some are living in challenging conditions, making it hard for them to seek or receive treatment. It's clear that there's a need for better and timely access to the health care system, not the criminal justice system. We'd like to show you our coordinated approach and how we work with our community partners to address these complex issues. Thank you. One in five Canadians lives with a mental illness and when untreated, they are 15 times more likely than the general public to be a victim of crime and 23 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime. This stigma is contrary to the belief that people with a mental illness are only perpetrators of crime. In addition, they have a greater chance of contact with police and of living in a low income and higher crime neighborhood. John. Officers first had contact with him over a decade ago when his mental illness surfaced. Over the years, circumstances in his life led to substance abuse problems which developed into an addiction. He was unable to access care or to regularly take his medication and he ended up living on the street. When police received 911 calls about a man running into traffic and screaming at people passing by, responding officers recognize John immediately. They can see he is in a mental health crisis. All VPD officers receive training in crisis intervention and de-escalation which is ongoing and evolving and the department has a mental health strategy to guide how they respond. They need to consider if intervention is necessary, how best to communicate and whether other resources are needed, including family or another person in their support system. Some of these incidents happen suddenly and evolve quickly. If officers feel police interaction could result in unnecessary safety concerns, they might choose not to engage and to reach out to family and other resources to help resolve the incident. In John's case, the officers assess the situation, consider their options and determine that arresting him is not appropriate. Car 87 arrives to share their history of interactions with John. Car 87 is a mental health crisis response car with a police officer working alongside a Vancouver Coastal Health Mental Health professional. It began in 1978 when the VPD first identified the unique demand placed on officers who respond to people living with mental illness. The concept has now been adopted by police agencies around the world. As John's personal safety and the safety of others is at risk, the officers feel he should be apprehended under section 28 of the Mental Health Act which empowers the police to take someone to the doctor if they are in need of protection and Car 87 agrees. His behaviour is too serious for him to go to the Access and Assessment Centre at VGH, which is the primary entry point into the mental health care and substance use system, where police and paramedics bring non-emergency clients for rapid access. The emergency mental health care system in Vancouver can be accessed through hospital emergency departments at St. Paul's, VGH, UBC and Children's. The officers escort John to St. Paul's emergency, where they wait with him for a doctor to examine him. When the doctor clears John medically, he admits him under the Mental Health Act and takes him to the hub, which is also at St. Paul's Hospital. The hub is an urgent and additional rapid access point for mental health and addictions care in Vancouver aimed at improving quality of care, reducing wait times and supporting a patient's transition back into the community. When the psychiatrist decides John is ready, he discharges him with the option to voluntarily enter the Vancouver Police Foundation Transitional Centre, where they offer support such as referrals to housing, other social services and to ongoing mental health and or addiction follow-up care. The hope for this innovative initiative is that it will break the cycle of crisis-driven health care and negative police interactions and with the help of community services enable clients to have a better quality of life. John is welcomed to the Vancouver Police Foundation Transitional Centre, where he receives positive support. He takes a long shower, has a bite to eat, followed by a good night's sleep. The next morning, the Assertive Outreach Team arrives to help him. The Assertive Outreach Team is a mental health program in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, which provides short-term and intensive support for clients experiencing more challenging mental health and or substance use as they transition from hospital or jail to care providers in the community. Psychiatrists, nurses, clinical supervisors and police all collaborate to offer immediate and creative problem-solving to increase the chances clients like John will continue with treatment. For John, Assertive Outreach Team members drive him home, buy him groceries and make sure he has his medication. They see him every day, take him to appointments and meetings, make sure he has food to eat and that he takes his medication. After two months, the Assertive Community Treatment Team steps in. This full-service mental health program led by Vancouver Coastal Health provides longer-term support for clients where traditional mental health services have been unsuccessful. Team members including psychiatrists, social and housing workers, nurses, vocational counselors, occupational and recreational therapists, peer counselors, Aboriginal cultural support workers and police officers all work together to support John in his treatment. John receives addiction and psychological counseling, life and job skills training and even recreational outings like camping trips once or twice a year. The quality of his life improves as he continues to receive the care he needs. He no longer requires police intervention or repeated interaction with the emergency health care system and he is well on the path to recovery. So where do many of these initiatives come from? Project LINK was created in 2011. This group of decision-makers from Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence Health Care and the VPD meet monthly to discuss issues, strategies, identify gaps in service and to find solutions. It's another example of the collaboration needed to successfully address mental health and substance use from all angles. The VPD continues to work with our partners on new initiatives and to take a proactive approach. We have developed an early warning system using data to identify people who may pose a greater risk for negative police interaction. The VPD's mental health unit uses this system to determine where to place their resources in an effort to intervene early and prevent problems before they escalate and result in negative contacts with police. The VPD's mental health strategy demonstrates the department's commitment to reducing the stigma attached to mental illness and to providing necessary help to those who live with mental illness. We will continue working with our partners in health care and in the community to ensure our efforts keep evolving to address these ongoing challenges and that clients receive the support they need. Hello, I'm Monica McAldef and I'm the Director of Mental Health and Substance Use for Vancouver Coastal Health in the Vancouver community of care. We provide a variety of services to people of all ages and collaboration with other agencies is essential particularly when providing services to people experiencing mental health and substance use issues. With joint initiatives like the Assertive Outreach Team, the Assertive Community Treatment Teams, the Access and Assessment Center at VGH and the Hub at St. Paul's Hospital our health teams and the VPD have created a successful partnership between health and policing. Together we help clients in crisis and support them with accessing treatment particularly those who do not access conventional health programs. Our aim is for clients to reach their optimal health goals using educated and culturally safe practices. Our shared goal is to provide services so we can assist clients to access treatment and avoid getting involved with the criminal justice system. Vancouver Coastal Health will continue to build partnerships to improve overall health outcomes for Vancouver residents.