The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) and The Royal are partnering to launch a new Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), an initiative designed to deliver immediate, specialized support to individuals experiencing mental illness or substance use crises in the community.
This collaboration will pair a clinical mental health professional from The Royal’s soon-to-open Urgent Care Clinic with a specially trained OPS officer from their Mental Health Unit. Together, they will respond to calls across the national capital regions, providing immediate, on-scene assessment, de-escalation, and direct connections to care and community services.
This new MCRT will be in the community in spring 2026, complementing the opening of The Royal’s Urgent Care Clinic, which will fill a critical gap in service, offering timely, specialized, compassionate treatment for people in a mental health crisis.
Transforming care
“This partnership is one more example of how The Royal is transforming mental health care in our region,” says Stephanie Carter, Executive Director, Clinical Services, The Royal. “Through initiatives like the Mobile Crisis Response Team with OPS and our Urgent Care Clinic, we’re working together to improve access to treatment and create a system that works better for everyone.”
By improving coordination between health care and law enforcement, The Royal and OPS are making it easier for people to get the right care, when and where they need it.
Community partnership
“The Ottawa Police is proud to partner with The Royal to launch a new Mobile Crisis Response Team. These MCRTs enable us to connect people to the care and support they need, reflecting the OPS’s commitment to responding to mental health crises in the community,” said Deputy Chief Paul Burnett, Ottawa Police Service.
This initiative is supported through provincial funding from the Solicitor General of Ontario, with resources committed through 2027, and is the newest MCRT to launch in Ottawa, following the partnership between The Ottawa Hospital and OPS.
About The Royal
The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental illness and addiction treatment, research, and education hospitals, dedicated to supporting individuals aged 16 and older who are living with complex mental illness and addiction. Since opening in 1910, The Royal has grown into a trusted resource for people across eastern and northern Ontario, western Quebec, and Nunavut.
With campuses in Ottawa and Brockville, and clinical teams working directly in homes and communities, The Royal delivers compassionate, evidence-informed care grounded in cutting-edge research, including through its partnership with the University of Ottawa and other academic and community partners. Its integrated model brings together care, research, education, and strategic partnerships to help build a future of recovery.
At The Royal, we separate the person from the illness, helping more people reclaim their lives.
Media contact: Alyssa Nader, Communications Specialist, The Royal, anader@theroyal.ca
