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The Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee Community of Interest

Strategies to implement Effective Police-ED protocols

Police officers, by virtue of their role as emergency responders, are often the first to arrive on the scene of a mental health crisis, and they often accompany individuals to the emergency room. Police officers and emergency department (ED) staff can offer unique insight about how to make the ED more efficient, to reduce wait-times for police officers and increase care for the person in crisis.

The Ontario Human Services & Justice Coordinating Committee (HSJCC) presented a webinar entitled, “Strategies for Implementing Effective Police-Emergency Department Protocols in Ontario.” On March 28, the topics covered were

  • The issues relating to police-accompanied visits to the ED; 
  • Strategies to implement police-ED protocols; 
  • A successful police-ED protocol from Hamilton, Ontario.

Presenters:
Heather Callender, Executive Director, St. Leonard’s Society London and Chair of the South West Regional HSJCC;
Phil Lillie, Detective Sergeant, Durham Regional Police Service and Co-Chair of the Durham Regional HSJCC;
Uppala Chandrasekera, Planning & Policy Analyst, Canadian Mental Health Association of Ontario and Policy Advisor to the Provincial HSJCC;
Terry McGurk, Manager of COAST, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Co-Chair of the Central South Regional HSJCC.

Click here to view this webinar.

For more information about the HSJCC visit hsjcc.on.ca.

 

The Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committees (HSJCCs) were established based on the Provincial Strategy to Coordinate Human Services and Criminal Justice Systems in Ontario (1997), in response to a recognized need in the province to coordinate resources and services, and plan more effectively for people who are in conflict with the law. Priority consideration is for people with a serious mental illness, developmental disability, acquired brain injury, drug and alcohol addiction, and/or fetal alcohol syndrome.

The HSJCC Network is comprised of 39 Local HSJCCs, 14 Regional HSJCCs, and one Provincial HSJCC funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Each HSJCC is a voluntary collaboration between health and social service organizations, community mental health and addictions organizations, and partners from the justice sector including crown attorneys, judges, police services, and correctional service providers.

The Regional and Local HSJCCs coordinate communication and service integration planning among health, social services, and criminal justice organizations within specific regions. Structurally, the Local HSJCCs provide input to the fourteen Regional HSJCCs, which in turn provide input to the Provincial HSJCC. As well, the entire network of 54 committees supports knowledge transfer across the province.

The Provincial HSJCC consists of regional chairs representing their Regions and ex-officio members from important stakeholder groups such as Corrections Services Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. There are also ex-officio representatives from the Ministries of the Attorney General, Community and Social Services, Health and Long-Term Care, Community Safety and Correctional Services, and Children and Youth Services.

The main goal of the HSJCC Community of Interest (CoI) is to share knowledge and expertise from all levels of HSJCC’s, address knowledge gaps, collaboratively develop new knowledge, and engage stakeholders from criminal justice, mental health, addictions, and the human services sectors.

The HSJCC COI will collaborate with the existing HSJCC Communication and Knowledge Transfer Committee to achieve the objectives of the COI. The anticipated deliverables are:

  • a webinar based on the HSJCC Info Guide, titled, Strategies for Community Service Providers for Engaging in Communication with Correctional Facilities in Ontario;
  • a webinar based on the HSJCC Police-Emergency Room Protocols Project;
  • an enhanced HSJCC website for knowledge transfer and exchange for service providers, clients, family members, and the general public; and
  • a Police/Mental Health Education Directory is made available through the HSJCC website.

We look forward to connecting with the other COIs funded by EENet in order to further enhance knowledge transfer in the field of addictions and mental health. For more information about the HSJCC, visit us online at www.hsjcc.on.ca

UPDATES
January 29, 2013

Click here to watch the latest webinar entitled Strategies for Community Service Providers for Engaging in Communication with Correctional Facilities in Ontario presented on January 22, 2013

Download the Strategies for Community Service Providers for Engaging in Communication with Correctional Facilities in Ontario. Info Guide here

Download the Strategies for Community Service Providers for Engaging in Communication with Correctional Facilities in Ontario Fact Sheet here

Coming soon:
We will be posting a link to register for the March webinar: Police Protocols in the ER
Additional updates and information related to the projects of the HSJCC Community of Interest 

December 2012

An EENet presentation was delivered at the November Provincial HSJCC meeting to introduce members to the intent and deliverables of the CoI. The HSJCC Communication and Knowledge Transfer Committee met November 26th and reviewed: