DMHS staff were recently out on the ball diamond for the 2013 Grand Slam Challenge, along with consumers of mental health services, colleagues at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, and Durham Regional Police officers.

This annual event on the grounds of Ontario Shores is a chance for police officers and consumers of mental health services to meet in a relaxed setting. On hand were officers and psychiatric nurses from the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT), a specialized unit that responds to mental health crises in the community.

In addition to the baseball game, participants shared lunch and celebrated awards for Most Valuable Players, Most Improved Players and Most Sportsmanlike Players on each team and overall.

“It was a fun day for individuals to connect with old friends and make new ones,” says participant and DMHS Peer Support Specialist Sue Cathcart.  “It was a chance for police officers and individuals who experience mental illness to interact on a social level, which may reduce tension and increase understanding if they meet during a mental health crisis.”