It’s become a very useful tool for the Delta police officers when dealing with mental health calls and soon many other police departments will follow.
In October 2019, the Delta Police Department (DPD) became the first police department in B.C. to use HealthIM, a software application that supports the frontline work of officers in dealing with calls associated to mental health concerns.
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.
An update report to the Delta Police Board last week notes that since the app’s implementation, its usage has provided a diversity of benefits including improved service to the community through more officers being available on the road.
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.
Police Chief Neil Dubord said the app last year was utilized to conduct 376 assessments involving 326 individuals, which included repeated contact with some individuals.
The assessments resulted in 339 apprehensions under the Mental Health Act, requiring a DPD or Community Safety Officer to accompany the individual to the hospital. The admission rate for individuals who were apprehended and transported tohospital was approximately 78 per cent.
“Unfortunately, the admission rate prior to HealthIM admissions was not tracked and therefore, is not available. Prior to the implementation of HealthIM, the average wait time for DPD officers at the hospital was 130 minutes (2 hours, 1 minutes). In 2023, the average wait time was 121 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes), up by eleven (11) minutes from 2022. The average wait time for 2023 remained nine (9) minutes lower when compared to the average wait time before HealthIM implementation (130 minutes), resulting in a time savings of 52.4 hours,” his report notes.
Lengthy wait times in hospitals continued to be a persistent challenge in 2023, reflecting broader issues within the B.C. public health system, the report notes, adding that ongoing challenges have significantly strained hospitals, manifesting in staffing shortages, escalating patient demands, and a surge in mental health-related emergencies.
Despite those challenges, the app has contributed to efficiency and its usage translated to a monetary savings of $22,883.
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, the report notes.
“However, the full potential of these benefits is contingent on broader improvements within the public health infrastructure, suggesting that further enhancements to the system could unlock more substantial time savings and operational efficiencies,” the report adds.
Dubord told the board the province has approved use of the app for all police departments and, by mid-2024, many will begin using it.
In late 2022, the provincial government announced funding for the app as part of the Safer Communities Action Plan, but it remains to be seen how much departments will receive. The DPD currently funds the app within the department’s annual operating budget.
