The Chatham-Kent Police Service and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance are partnering to launch a new pilot program aimed at improving community responses to addiction and mental health-related calls.
Announced Monday, the Mobile Addictions Response Team will pair a plain-clothes police officer with an addictions therapist from Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s Rapid Access Addictions Medicine clinic. The two-year pilot is funded through the provincial Mobile Crisis Response Team Enhancement Grant and is modeled after the existing Mobile Crisis Response Team operating in the community.
The team will respond to calls for service involving addiction-related concerns, with a focus on timely intervention and connecting individuals to appropriate care. In addition to responding to incidents as they arise, the program includes follow-up visits to help ensure ongoing support and access to services.
Police Chief Kirk Earley said the initiative reflects the growing need for coordinated responses to addiction and mental health challenges across Chatham-Kent. He said the partnership brings together frontline policing and specialized clinical care to provide compassionate, effective support while improving community safety.
From a health-care perspective, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance officials emphasized the importance of reducing barriers to care and meeting people where they are. Caen Suni, vice-president of clinical programs and operations, said the program allows care providers to bring addiction support directly into the community while strengthening trust and access to timely treatment.
Both organizations say the Mobile Addictions Response Team represents an important step toward addressing the complex impacts of addiction and mental health crises, with a shared goal of reducing harm and supporting some of the community’s most vulnerable residents.
