District’s top cop wants to expand PACT program to ensure better response to mental health calls

Today, Chief Supt. Brad Haugli said he was deeply concerned when he saw the video of Mona Wang’s wellness check at UBC Okanagan.

The RCMP's Southeast District commander said he’s heard the public’s concerns and has had many important conversations regarding the incident and RCMP policies over the last few weeks.

While Wang’s case is currently under external review, Haugli has his eyes set on changes that he hopes will ensure this type of incident doesn’t happen again.

That means an internal review from a policy and training perspective, including the best ways to respond to a growing number of mental health calls.

Chief Supt. Haugli also said:

• Wang would likely have been dealt with differently if a police and crisis team (PACT), which includes a mental health professional, had attended

• He wants to see the PACT program "greatly expanded'

• If it isn't possible to have a dedicated nurse for every call, he would like to see a real-time information sharing model created to provide officers with health advice

• The number of mental health calls in the Southeast District has been increasing, with May 2020 representing the highest ever monthly total

“Currently, our division headquarters are reviewing our policies relating to mental health related calls, which includes requests to check (the) wellbeing of a person,” he said.

“Given the UBCO case and other wellness check cases highlighted throughout this country, my team and I feel it is of the utmost importance to expand the best practice of PACT programs in the Southeast District.”

There are only two active PACT programs in the Southeast District, in Kelowna and Kamloops, which Haugli said have been “very effective” in responding to mental health calls.

He explained that a PACT team can effectively de-escalate persons in crisis and, when treatment is necessary, use the referral into the healthcare system to attain the best possible care.

“My goal is to greatly expand this needed service at existing locations (where) it is not always available and introduce it to as many communities as possible.”

“If there’s an inability to provide a dedicated Interior Health nurse for every call, then I want to implement a real-time information sharing model which provides our members important health information that will ensure the wholesome assessment of the person in crisis before attending the call.”

Haugli said that if a PACT team had responded to the wellness check for Mona Wang in January, the results would have almost certainly been different.

“I have personally advanced my willingness and strong support directly to the CEO and president of IH, hoping that we can quickly come together and work on a sustained model for the Southeast District,” continued Haugli.

He said he’s now awaiting IH president Susan Brown’s response.

The number of mental health-related calls in the Southeast District are increasing, and Haugli said that's especially been true during COVID-19.

There were 11,929 mental health calls in 2016, a number that increased 21% to 15,099 in 2019.

In the first five months of this year, there have been 6,446 mental health-related calls, which includes 1,456 in May, the highest monthly total ever for the district.

The exact same trend has been seen when it comes to mental health apprehensions under the provincial mental health act.

Haugli ended his press conference by saying he continues to be proud of the profession he chose and to be a member of the RCMP.

“I believe high public confidence and accountability is a key element for success in policing, no matter the colour of stripe you wear,” he said.

“My team and I committed to improving service delivery and to ensure public confidence and accountability and organizational transparency is observed.”