9 months after Islander's death, Greens call on Ombudsperson to review what happened

The lack of a centralized dispatch system is a "misstep" in P.E.I.'s mobile mental health program that needs to be fixed immediately, Green MLAs told a standing committee on health Wednesday.

Currently, anyone needing to access a mobile mental health unit directly has to call 1-833-553-6983. There is also the option to call 811 or 911, where a dispatcher could potentially call the unit.

But Charlottetown Police Services has its own dispatcher, and it's up to the officers to call the mobile mental health unit.

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The committee heard that Charlottetown Police did not call the mobile mental health unit last January during a mental health crisis that ended when Tyler Knockwooddied by suicide.

On Wednesday, Green MLA Karla Bernard moved a motion, which passed unanimously, to "request that the Ombudsperson reviews this event as well as the overall communication with and by the MMHU in cases of mental health crisis calls."

Knockwood's death should have spurred change, said fellow Green MLA Peter Bevan-Baker.

"I'm just flabbergasted, to be honest, that nine months after somebody died we have not managed to resolve that.

"That seems like more than a misstep or oversight."

I'm just flabbergasted, to be honest, that nine months after somebody died we have not managed to resolve that. Peter Bevan-Baker

It's not the first time the issue of miscommunication has been raised. Two weeks ago, MLAs questioned Medavie, the private company responsible for delivering P.E.I.'s mobile mental health service for the government, about why so many mental health calls are still attended only by police operating on their own.

Island EMS suggested the solution is a centralized dispatch for all calls, including police, to allow mobile mental health to be part of any response.

On Wednesday, Deborah Bradley, assistant deputy minister with the Department of Health and Wellness,agreed a centralized dispatch system for all emergency calls could improve efficiency.

"It is unfortunate that the systems aren't talking to each other and calls aren't being redirected to the mobile mental health line," she told the committee. "I agree that we need to find solutions so that there is a seamless transition for the calls to be made. So I think the department can play a leadership role."

When the mobile mental health service was launched in October 2021, one of the goals was totake responsibility for some wellness checks from police to mental health professionals, who might be better suited to help.

The unit operates with two field teams each consisting of a paramedic and clinician specializing in social work.

In two years, it has taken more than 6,700 calls, 85 per cent of which involved cases that could be handled over the phone. The unit was on scene for the other 15 per cent. Most calls came between 3 and 7 p.m., officials said.

Charlottetown Police received about 2,000 mental health calls last year, but only a handful were referred to mobile mental health.

Two weeks ago Charlottetown Police told CBC they would have an internal meeting to talk about mobile mental health service. There was no update Wednesday about that meeting.