Supplied: CMHA Instagram

People experiencing a mental health or substance-use crisis in Kamloops will soon have access to a new community-led response team.

The province, along with the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division is launching new Peer Assisted Care Teams (PACT) in the Tournament Capital.

CMHA Kamloops Branch Executive Director Alfred Achoba says PACT is designed to be a mobile community-led crisis team that sees peers with lived experience and mental health professionals trained to respond and de-escalate mental-health crises and help connect individuals with follow-up supports.

“I would say that PACT is what is needed in Kamloops, given the challenges we’re seeing in the community, especially as it pertains to mental health and as it pertains to, the crisis around homelessness and substance use; this is the type of response that is needed in Kamloops.”

Achoba says the highlight for him with PACT is having individuals with lived experience, respond to the crisis calls.

“The practice is centered around providing that type of assistance that you need and the benefit is when individuals are facing challenges, it’s easier for them to connect with peers who have experienced similar situations. It creates a sense of belonging but also removes that feeling of isolation that you would have when you’re connected with someone who has no idea what you’re going through.”

It comes as Achoba says there has been a shift in many communities regarding mental health and substance use support programs such as PACT, which he says is a direct result of the crisis occurring in municipalities across the province, including Kamloops.

“One of the issues we have had is in communities we have always had crisis response and crisis response is usually chaos and it is usually not planned properly so we need to shift to a more direct response that produces results, and we have seen over the last few years that PACT brings those results.”

Additionally, Achoba suggests the PACT model may be better than the Car-40 program, which pairs a mental health nurse with an RCMP officer — noting a peer support team will have a significant, positive impact in Kamloops.

“Rather than have a traditional response which involves RCMP, we are shifting towards a more trauma-informed response, centered on mental health and the wellbeing of the individual and making sure that communities are getting the appropriate response they need.”

The first PACT launched in November 2021 in Vancouver’s North Shore, with Achoba hopeful PACT will be ready to roll out in Kamloops shortly.

Once rolled out, the team will respond to people aged 13 and above in crisis in Kamloops.

Supplied: CMHA BC