Nurse Police Team Program Expanded To Seven Days A Week
The Windsor Police and Windsor Regional Hospital Nurse Police Team program has been extended from three days to seven days per week.
Initially launched as a pilot project in May 2023, the program is a data-driven strategy that pairs frontline police officers with nursing professionals to deliver proactive healthcare to people struggling with substance use. The initiative steers individuals away from the criminal justice system and reduces the strain on our already overcrowded hospital emergency departments.
The program previously operated only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays when the demand for service was highest. However, following a successful trial period, the program will now run daily, from 1:00pm to 1:00am.
Over its first year, the the teams handled 1,645 calls for service, distributed 240 dosages of the life-saving medication Naloxone, referred 905 people to community resources, and diverted 563 potential visits from hospital emergency rooms.
Closely linked to another partnership between Windsor Police and Windsor Regional Hospital, the NPT program has contributed to the unprecedented improvements in officer wait times at hospital with people in crisis.
