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IMPACT team earns honours for work with Wellington OPP

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CMHA Waterloo Wellington’s IMPACT team has earned special recognition from the Wellington County Police Services Board.

On Thursday, June 29th, the Board recognized the positive community success of the Wellington OPP IMPACT team.

The program, funded by the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integrated Network, enables specially-trained Mental Health Clinicians to attend mental health-related calls alongside officers. The goal of the program is to ensure that residents have better health outcomes by receiving the most appropriate community-based crisis response at the time of need.

“Anita [Matthews] and Julia [Van Ryswyck] have worked tirelessly to build this program along with our partners from Wellington OPP,” says Meredith Gardiner, Director of Services, Central Region. “Referrals to the program are rising each month and speaks to the need in the system of mental health and addiction supports.”

In 2016, IMPACT workers received 1,684 referrals from Wellington OPP and Guelph Police. They provided 1,550 hours of direct service to clients, and 89 hours of education to police and the community.

From left: Councillor Lynda White, Chair of Wellington County Police Services Board; Anita Matthews, Crisis Response Coordinator with IMPACT; Julia Van Ryswyck, Crisis Response Coordinator with IMPACT; Warden Dennis Lever, County of Wellington; and Inspector Scott Lawson of Wellington OPP.

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