Police detachments throughout Greater Victoria are now using a newly launched mental-health screening tool to provide better support to people in crisis.
HealthIM, a real-time, evidence-based risk-screening tool, connects responders with healthcare professionals to assess and manage mental health crises more effectively.
The tool is made up of four key components: pre-response safety briefings, a mental health risk screener, inter-agency communication, and reporting/analytics.
First, the pre-response safety briefing gives officers critical information about potential risk, de-escalation techniques, and any previous recorded interactions with the individual.
Next, the mental health risk screener allows officers to complete a digital assessment using the
interRAI Brief Mental Health Screener (BMHS). This helps them quickly evaluate the individual’s mental health risks and decide the best course of action.
The inter-agency communication feature then lets officers share observations with hospitals, community mental health agencies, and other relevant parties for more informed, timely responses.
Finally, the reporting and analytics component provides anonymized data, which is used for quick reports and valuable insights for community leaders, health professionals, and policymakers.
By facilitating this communication between police and healthcare professionals, HealthIM helps officers assess situations more accurately and safely de-escalate potential conflicts.
“HealthIM is a collaborative and co-ordinated approach that helps police officers work with health-care professionals to make assessments and respond faster with more information to better support a person in need,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health.
“This innovative tool will save lives and is an important step to building a more compassionate, responsive and integrated mental-health and substance-use care system.”
The BC government will provide $2 million annually to the BC Association of Chiefs of Police to support HealthIM’s rollout in municipal police departments and RCMP detachments and their mission of building safer communities.
With partnerships at Victoria General and Royal Jubilee hospitals, HealthIM officially launched in Greater Victoria police departments on December 16th, 2025.
