Kootenay Boundary

Provides intervention to individuals in the city of Vancouver for mental health crisis or emergency situations. Car 87 provides immediate referrals to community based and/or emergency mental health services as deemed necessary. The program is a partnership between the Vancouver Police Department and the VCH Access and Assessment Centre's Crisis Response Team.

Car 87 teams a Vancouver Police constable with a registered nurse or a registered psychiatric nurse to provide on-site assessments and intervention for people living with mental illness. The nurse and the police officer work as a team in assessing, managing, and deciding about the most appropriate action, which may include referrals for community-based mental health follow-up or emergency intervention. Utilizing the least intrusive resolution response for each situation, the program objective is to reduce the need for patrol response reduce unnecessary admissions to hospitals, while connecting individuals in crisis to appropriate mental health services through community referrals.

Car 87 can be reached via the Access & Assessment Centre’s 24-hour crisis line at (604) 675-3700 or via 9-1-1