Centretown neighbourhood chosen as testing ground for mental crisis phone line | CBC News

An incoming program in Ottawa that would serve as an alternate to 911 for calls about mental health issues will first be rolled out in the neighbourhood of Centretown, following the recommendation of a panel of mental health experts.

The program, which will create a new phone number for people in crisis and include a triaging and dispatch system, was approved in late June by city councillors.

However the decision of where to first roll out the program was left to a committee of local mental health experts. 

That committee’s decision to launch the program in the area bound by Bronson Avenue, Elgin Street, Parliament Hill and Highway 417, is being applauded by front-line health workers in the neighbourhood.

“We’ve been asking for it for a long time and we are thrilled with it,” said Michelle Hurtubise, executive director of the Centretown Community Health Centre (CCHC) on Cooper Street.

WATCH | Mental health responders can meet people in distress ‘where they are at,’ community health centre director says

Mental health responders can meet people in distress ‘where they are at,’ community health centre director says

Michelle Hurtubise, executive director of the Centretown Community Health Centre, welcomes the decision to launch a 911 alternative in Centretown.

Wendy McKinley, the program lead for outreach services at CCHC, said having police show up when a client is in crisis has had negative consequences.

“As long as they have a uniform on they often trigger and escalate the situation,” said McKinley. “The clients feel they’re being retraumatized and they’re not getting the support they need.”

Hurtubise stresses that most crisis calls don’t require a police level response, and are instead better addressed by non-uniformed mental health responders.

“You’ve got somebody who can meet somebody exactly where they are at, take the time to sit with them, hear what their needs are and then connect them in a timely way to supports and resources that make a difference,” said Hurtubise.

Demand from across the city

The city has set aside $3 million per year for three years to implement the first phase of the mental crisis phone line, with the launch scheduled for the summer of 2024.

The yet-to-be-determined telephone number would act as a central switchboard for mental health and substance abuse calls, while still having the ability to escalate a call to 911 if need be. Emergency dispatchers will also have the option of diverting calls to the new system when appropriate.

According to the co-director of the Ottawa Guiding Council on Mental Health and Addictions, which selected Centretown as the first neighbourhood, the need for an alternative to 911 is spread across the city.

“Every location is considered the best location because every community needs what we are offering today,” said Sahada Alolo. “But we had to start somewhere.”

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Why a 911 alternative program can’t stop at rollout

Sahada Alolo co-director of The Ottawa Guiding Council on Mental Health and Addictions said, as much as the need is urgent, it’s important that the initiative is culturally informed and involves people with lived experience.

Alolo added the council relied on data from the census, as well as police and paramedic reports, to select Centretown. 

The group’s decision was warmly welcomed by Coun. Ariel Troster, who represents the area.  

“Our hope is that by taking the load of this case work off of [the police’s] plate and have mental health and harm reduction workers deal with what are really public health challenges, it’ll free up police to be more available if there’s a dangerous driving incident, or an incident that involves real violence,” she said.

If all goes according to plan, the city will launch a request for proposals to operate the phone line, with a rollout of the program in Centretown scheduled for the summer of 2024.