The Town of New Glasgow has announced that it has successfully secured funding through Health Canada’s Emergency Treatment Fund (ETF) to develop and implement a Community Crisis Outreach Worker (CCOW) program through the New Glasgow Police.
The Emergency Treatment Fund is a federal initiative designed to support municipalities and communities in responding to urgent and emerging needs related to the ongoing substance use, overdose, and mental health crisis across Canada. The program supports innovative, community-based approaches that increase access to care, improve service coordination, and strengthen local capacity to respond to individuals in crisis.
New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks, New Glasgow Police Chief Ryan Leil and Central Nova MP Sean Fraser (New Glasgow Police Photo)
Through this funding, the Town will embed an accredited civilian social worker within the New Glasgow Police service as part of an enhanced Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model. The CCOW will provide mobile, trauma-informed, and harm-reduction-based support to individuals and families experiencing mental health challenges, substance use concerns, drug toxicity risk, and other complex social issues.
The Community Crisis Outreach Worker will:
- Provide support in the community in coordination with police once situations are safe and appropriate for engagement
- Be available to frontline officers for consultation, guidance, risk assessment support, and education
- Conduct mental health, substance use, and risk-informed assessments
- Provide crisis stabilization and collaborative safety planning
- Deliver structured follow-up and short-term case coordination
- Connect individuals to treatment, recovery services, housing supports, and community resources
This initiative builds on New Glasgow’s existing Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model, a formalized and ongoing co-response partnership between police and Nova Scotia Health, Mental Health and Addictions, in place since 2021.
The addition of a dedicated clinician embedded within the police service will strengthen the existing model by improving continuity of care, enhancing follow-up, and supporting more effective navigation of health and social services.
The Community Crisis Outreach Worker program will launch later this month and will operate as a pilot initiative, allowing the Town and its partners to evaluate effectiveness, refine the model, and determine the best approach for long-term sustainability
