Mental health nurse working with Brockville Police

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The Brockville Police Service welcomed a new addition to their team earlier this year.

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Dulcie Swarbrick is a mental health crisis nurse who is now working alongside the police as part of the Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT).

Swarbrick started her position in April on a one-year contract through Brockville General Hospital, thanks to funding from the province, and has an extensive background in the fields of mental health and emergency response.

The Ontario Provincial Police have had a mental health nurse as part of their teams since 2018, and now Brockville Police is joining in.

“Ever since I’ve started, it’s been busy,” said Swarbrick. “On average, I’d say we’re doing about seven calls a shift. That’s within a 10-hour span, between live crisis calls and follow-ups.”

Swarbrick was brought on to the MCRT to provide expertise and experience to mental health calls that some officers may not have. She has been trained in de-escalation techniques, crisis communication, identifying tells, and other facets of dealing with mental health crises.

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“My job is to defuse the situation, then direct the people in crisis to the proper supports within the community,” said Swarbrick. “What I’m trying to do is keep them out of jail and out of the hospital. Both are well over capacity in Brockville, and the supports are more equipped to get them proper help anyway.”

Swarbrick’s impact is already being felt, just four months into her job.

Const. Kevin Despres, who is assigned to the MCRT, said having a specialized mental health nurse on the job not only relieves the amount of work being assigned to patrolling officers, it makes the calls more efficient.

“When Dulcie is with us on a call, our wait time is generally half,” said Despres. “Even just having her there at the scene, we can see a difference in how they talk to her compared to us.”

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Swarbrick having that expertise and background in mental health and crisis management can help ensure that the situation can be diffused safely, and that the person in crisis can be connected with the help they need.

“I have worked on the mental health side of policing for years, and mental health is extremely intricate,” said Despres. “Even with my experience, I don’t have the education portion of it, so there’s a lot I don’t understand. And that’s where Dulcie comes in.”

Despres said having Swarbrick on the team also helps reduce the number of total calls being made.

“A lot of the time patrolling officers are just putting an end to the crisis, just to deal with the same person again the next day,” said Despres. “As police, we try our best to put out the fire, only for it to pop again shortly after. Now, we can connect people with the help they need and have the right support workers helping them.”

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When it comes to dealing with a mental health crisis call, the No.-1 priority is safety for all involved.

Swarbrick’s crisis management training allows her to identify what may be causing the crisis, and help deescalate the situation.

“Being calm, listening, making them feel important, no intimidation, looking them in the eye and coming to their level are all parts of managing a crisis,” said Swarbrick. “You want to get the person to trust you, and being in the middle of some situations can be difficult. Sometimes I’m getting a dirty needle waved in my face, but I remain calm and figure out a solution.”

Swarbrick’s contract is up in April, but judging by the number of calls, she feels confident her contract will be renewed for another year.

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