As the COVID-19 pandemic unravelled many aspects of everyday life, it brought to the forefront the importance of mental health and well-being. A highlight of Humber’s research project addressing this important issue is Developing a Best Practice Model for Mental Health Crisis Care: A Community-Engaged Approach.
The focus of this research project is to explore the ways in which models of community-based organizations and acute care institutions (e.g., paramedics, police, and emergency department services) can collaboratively inform the most promising practices for emergency mental health response. The project aims to develop practices to support community members in need of emergency mental health assistance, especially people of lower socioeconomic status, Black and Indigenous communities, racialized people, LGBT2SQ+ and immigrant communities.
The research project is led by Humber faculty members Polly Ford-Jones, Sheryl Thompson and Danielle Pomeroy. The Humber research team is collaborating with TAIBU Community Health Centre and Middlesex-London Paramedic Service to develop a best practice model for response to mental health crisis care.
The project received the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) grant ($360k) in 2021.
