OPP Gets New Screening Tool

The Ontario Provincial Police will soon begin using a science-based, standardized mental health screening form to help officers report, in medical terms, why a person is being brought to a hospital for psychiatric assessment. The Brief Mental Health Screener (BMHS) is the result of a partnership among the OPP, University of Waterloo and a network of researchers in over 30 countries committed to improving care for vulnerable populations, including those with mental illness. The BMHS has been evaluated through an OPP pilot project and is expected to improve police response to people experiencing a mental health crisis. It will also assist officers in dealing with these situations.