P.E.I.'s mobile mental health service to launch next week, union says
CBC
Prince Edward Island's mobile mental health service is set to launch next week, according to the head of paramedics' union.
Six paramedics have been hired so far to be part of the mental health crisis response team, said the president of CUPE Local 3324 Jason Woodbury.
"Our members have been hired, six of them, to work in the Summerside, Charlottetown and Montague, Souris area, and they're undergoing training sessions," Woodbury said.
"We're not doing the clinical duties as of yet. We're just getting our gear ready and going through the training process."
His union thinks that the mobile mental health unit will be an "asset" to Islanders, and serve more than physical emergency needs, Woodbury said.
"It's going beyond our traditional duties of responding to emergency calls, so I think it would be a good change and beneficial for Islanders."
The hired paramedics have been training with social workers and registered nurses, he said.