# RCMP getting new app to help assist people in a mental health crisis (Vernon)

- URL: https://theranews.net/blog/2026-05-23-rcmp-getting-new-app-to-help-assist-people-in-a-mental-health-crisis-vernon-23e8d3/
- Published: 2026-05-23
- Type: Archive summary (AI-assisted summary of third-party reporting)
- Original outlet: castanet
- Original report: https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/615760/RCMP-getting-new-app-to-help-assist-people-in-a-mental-health-crisis
- Topics: mental-health
- Publisher: TheraNews, operated by AdvancedCare USA Inc.
- Notice: Educational content, not medical, legal, billing or financial advice. Cite the original outlet, not this summary.

> RCMP have a new tool to better deal with people struggling with mental health issues. The HeatlhIM app is an evidence-based, risk-screening tool that supports police response with mental-health-related calls. A press conference at the Vernon RCMP detachment Friday announced that the app will be used

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The RCMP is implementing a new tool to improve police response to mental health crises across British Columbia. HealthIM, an evidence-based risk-screening app, was announced for rollout at BC Interior detachments beginning the week following the announcement, with immediate positive outcomes already evident from existing deployments.

## Proven Track Record

In BC detachments where HealthIM is already in use, the app has resulted in a 46 percent decrease in apprehensions, a 39 percent reduction in hospital wait times, and a 37 percent increase in hospital admission rates. The new technology is particularly significant given that approximately one in five police interactions in British Columbia involves someone experiencing a mental-health crisis.

## Easy Training and Real-Time Assessment

Officers can be trained on HealthIM in a matter of minutes. The app provides front-line officers with a structured tool to assess risk, support informed decision-making, and strengthen coordination with health-care professionals. Through real-time risk assessments, officers can securely share relevant information with emergency departments before arrival, allowing health care teams to have better information earlier and connect individuals in crisis more efficiently to needed care.

As of May 19, HealthIM had been used 272 times by the RCMP in the South East District, including 133 mental health apprehensions where people were transported to mental health facilities. The government is providing $2 million annually to the BC Association of Chiefs of Police to support the rollout across municipal police departments and RCMP detachments throughout B.C.

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*This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: [https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/615760/RCMP-getting-new-app-to-help-assist-people-in-a-mental-health-crisis](https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/615760/RCMP-getting-new-app-to-help-assist-people-in-a-mental-health-crisis)*