It’s useful tool for Delta police officers that will be used by other police departments across the province.
A report to the Delta Police Board on the department’s operating expenditures and revenues notes some positives including, after B.C. police chiefs successfully lobbied the provincial government, funding has been provided for HealthIM, an app used to screen, document and assess mental health resources needed when patrol officers encounter people in distress.
In October 2019, the Delta Police Department (DPD) became the first police department in B.C. to use HealthIM and had been funding its use through the department’s existing operating budget, even into this year.
The province and Port Moody Police Department in March 2024 announced that police department would start using the app, part of the Safer Communities Action Plan which would see the app’s use funded and eventually expanded across the province.
Other police already using it by then included Surrey RCMP.
Used in partnership with the Fraser Health Authority, HealthIM translates an officer’s description of observations into clinical language for hospital staff and sends that information to the hospital to prepare for intake, with staff being informed of circumstances prior to an individual’s arrival.
In an update to the police board this year, Police Chief Dubord said the DPD utilized the saved staffing hours to provide enhanced service to the community by being available for proactive policing activities and calls for service, rather than being tied up in hospital waiting rooms.
His report noted other benefits include improving information sharing and communication with Delta Mental Health, by having the apprehending officer send reports directly, removing time delays and the amount of time and redundancy for the DPD Mental Health Unit to make referrals, improved safety for nurses, as well as reduced paperwork and increased partnerships and communication with health care partners.
However, lengthy wait times in hospitals continued to be a persistent challenge in 2023, reflecting broader issues within the B.C. public health system. Ongoing challenges have significantly strained hospitals, manifesting in staffing shortages, escalating patient demands and a surge in mental health-related emergencies.
