Mental health calls trending downward in the Rainy River District
A program that assists Provincial Police with mental health calls is showing success in the Rainy River District.
The mobile crisis response team combines an officer and a mental health crisis worker who respond to mental health calls and work to avoid sending people to the hospital.
In 2024, OPP transported 195 people to the hospital.
Another 137 individuals avoided hospitalization through the intervention of the crisis response team, directing them to support elsewhere.
OPP Staff Sergeant Derrick McLean credits the team for their work.
“I think we have one of the programs in the province,” says McLean.
“I think if there’s an opportunity where we can make more investment in there, we’ll actually deliver better results.”
McLean also sees financial benefits with the program.
He says when officers must bring someone to the hospital, they have to wait until they’re escorted by the doctor, averaging 1.5 hours.
He says that equates to a billable charge of $423.
“So I guess conversely, if we did 137 diversions, we saved approximately $57,000. And since the inception of the program, there have been about 678 diversions, and the total savings would be $289,000,” says McLean.
McLean also notes that mental health calls have been declining in recent years.
OPP responded to 294 calls in 2025, down from 335 calls in 2023.
The statistics for 2026 show the numbers continue to track down with 36 calls in the first two months of the year, 40% lower than they were in the same period two years ago.
