COVID-19 Update

Please plan to attend your appointment, procedure or surgery as scheduled unless you are otherwise notified. During the pandemic, the hospital may be required to prioritize emergency and urgent cases, which may result in a change to your appointment. If this is the case, you will be contacted by a member of your care team. As always, our goal is to continue serving our community by providing quality hospital services for as long as it is safe and appropriate to do so during the pandemic.

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What this program does...

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Hamilton Police have collaborated on a successful project called the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT); a permanent partnership and the first-of-its kind in Canada. The MCRRT is made up of a uniformed police officer and a mental health worker as a rapid response option for calls involving people with a mental health issue or concern.

The MCRRT is an extension of an existing 17 year partnership with St. Joe’s and the Hamilton Police Service through COAST (Crisis Outreach and Support Team). The MCRRT offers a mental health professional in the cruiser with the uniformed police officer as a first response 9-1-1 option, as opposed to COAST being a second tier option.

How this program helps...

This program has been successful because it helps people in the right place, at the right time. Police Officers are there to keep those at the call safe and present different ways to approach and defuse the problem, allowing the mental health professional to use their skills and expertise appropriately.

The officers on the team are required to take training that includes Crisis Intervention Training, Safe Talk Training, and Assist Training. There are also officers who come from Niagara, Halton, and Brantford to participate. The training includes educating the officers to notice the cues on when to intervene, descalate and control the situations.

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Contact

​Satar Wahidi, Manager
Hamilton and Halton Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT)
Tel: 905 972 8118
email: swahidi@stjoes.ca