The Nurse Police Team continues to work to improve police response times, and reduce the burden on emergency departments.
The program, which launched in May 2023, pairs nursing professionals from Windsor Regional Hospital with frontline Windsor Police officers with the goal of responding to non-emergency, substance use-related incidents.
Since the start of 2024, the team has responded to over 3,100 calls and diverted nearly 900 people away from the emergency department. Within the first three months of 2025, members handled over 600 calls - a 48 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
According to Windsor Police, the team has also treated 226 substance-related wounds, administered 44 lifesaving doses of naloxone, and connected 605 people with community resources since the beginning of 2024.
Due to this program, response times for Windsor Police officers to priority one incidents - which are considered urgent, life-threatening situations - have improved by over 30 per cent since the launch.
Windsor Police Inspector, Jen Crosby, says this brings the care right to those who need it.
"With our Nurse Police Team they're a secondary response, meaning they will go with our patrol officers. But if it's a call that obviously the Nurse Police Team could assist, and could handle, that allows our patrol officers to free up, and allows the Nurse Police Team to really engage with the person and figure out what the needs are."
She says this has strengthened the relationship between Windsor Police and Windsor Regional Hospital.
"They're together making a difference. So they see us when we go into the emergency department, and then the next day they may be riding with us in the car. So it's created a really good working relationship, so we have no shortage of people wanting to join our team."
Crosby says the team just moved to 12 hours a day, seven days a week in March.
"So we're seeing those calls for service continue to grow. They are a very busy team, and with all the community outreach that they're doing too, they're out there, they're very visible within the public. And they're very well received within the City of Windsor."
Windsor Regional Hospital has seen the benefits of the program as well as those who previously required frequent emergency department visits can now receive care in the community.
The number of emergency department frequent users has decreased by 25 per cent over the last eight months.
-with files from AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides