HealthIM reduces apprehensions 46%

British Columbia said on May 22 that Interior RCMP detachments now have access to HealthIM, a digital screening tool used in mental-health and addiction crisis calls. The province said the system launched in the Boundary, Okanagan and West Kootenay regions on April 29 and is scheduled to expand to Thompson and Shuswap detachments on May 27. Officials said the tool guides officers through a structured series of questions and shares information with health-care teams before a person arrives at hospital. Provincial and health officials tied the rollout to earlier results showing fewer apprehensions and shorter hospital waits in jurisdictions already using the system. ### What is changing in the Interior rollout? RCMP Southeast District said on May 22 that HealthIM is already operating across most of the district, including Central Okanagan, South Okanagan, North Okanagan and West Kootenay detachments. The B.C. government said the April 29 launch covered Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, West Kelowna, Trail and other Interior communities, with additional Thompson and Shuswap detachments set to join on May 27. (news.gov.bc.ca) The province listed upcoming May 27 launches in Ashcroft, Barriere, Chase, Clearwater, Clinton, Kamloops, Logan Lake, Lillooet, Lytton, Merritt, Revelstoke, Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, along with BC Highway Patrol units in Merritt, Kamloops and Revelstoke. ### What does HealthIM actually do on a call? B.C. officials said the responding officer is guided through a series of questions designed to improve assessment of a person in crisis. (news.gov.bc.ca) The 2024 provincial launch description said the tool helps officers assess risk of harm to self or others, provides client-specific safety and de-escalation information, and alerts health-care partners to incoming people escorted by emergency responders. Interior Health said the system is intended to improve communication between police and clinical teams. RCMP Southeast District Commander Chief Superintendent Shawna Baher said frontline officers now have “a structured, evidence-informed tool” that supports decision-making and coordination with health-care partners. ### Where do the 46%, 39% and 37% figures come from? The B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said on May 22 that overall HealthIM outcomes have included a 46% decrease in apprehensions, a 39% reduction in hospital wait times and a 37% increase in hospital admission rates. (news.gov.bc.ca) The same figures appeared in the province’s March 2024 announcement when Port Moody police began using the tool, indicating the government has been using those results as its benchmark across deployments. (rcmp.ca) The province did not break out those percentages by each Interior detachment in the May 22 release. RCMP and Interior Health instead described the results as evidence from other participating jurisdictions and said the tool had shown positive effects in earlier communities. ### Why would admission rates rise while apprehensions fall? Interior Health said the program reduces duplication in hospital settings and helps health-care teams prepare for incoming individuals requiring assessment and support. (news.gov.bc.ca) The province has described the tool as a way to standardize how police and clinicians assess risk and exchange information, which officials say can lead to more appropriate care decisions. Health Minister Josie Osborne said the tool improves communication between police and health-care teams and supports “more trauma-informed responses and better continuity of care.” Sylvia Weir, president and chief executive of Interior Health, said the program strengthens partnerships in patient-centred care and better supports clinical teams. ### Who is backing the expansion? The B.C. government said the rollout is part of a provincewide expansion supported through annual funding to the B.C. (rcmp.ca) Association of Chiefs of Police. The Canadian Press, citing the Public Safety Ministry, reported that the province is providing C$2 million annually for rollout across municipal police departments and RCMP detachments in British Columbia. Nina Krieger, B.C.’s minister of public safety and solicitor general, said on May 22 that the government would continue to invest in the program as it expands across the province this year. The next named milestone is May 27, when Thompson and Shuswap detachments are scheduled to begin using HealthIM. (news.gov.bc.ca) (cbc.ca)