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| North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice in the Legislature on Thursday |
The MLA making use of the Thursday morning Statements portion of the session to provide an outline of the events that have now led to expanded security protocols at Northern Health facilities in Prince Rupert.
We all want to feel safe on the job. In fact, workers have a right to feel safe on the job. Last weekend, an incident in Prince Rupert left health care workers feeling unsafe and scared.And while I am thankful for the quick response from local health administrators, our local police and security services, that meant no one was harmed, it shows us just how important it is for health care workers to be safe and secure when they're at work.
Incidents like this make everyone feel unsafe, whether it's doctors, lab techs, nurses, janitors and all workers in a health care setting. It also means patients feel similar.
When a health care worker is safe on the job, they can spend time and energy focusing on the care of our loved ones.
A concerning issue is…. We that know what happened in Prince Rupert last week was not an isolated incident. Health care workers, whether they are working at an emergency room or administering vaccines in a clinic, are experiencing an increase in threats and even violence.
Ms. Rice also observed towards some measures that the Ministry of Health has taken recently to address rising threats and violence towards Health care workers across the Province.
We've listened and we've heard these concerns and have come up with solutions.
We've made a new shift to health care security to prioritize staff and patient safety in hospitals across B.C. This new relational security model means that 320 in-house security staff will be hired in addition to 14 specialized violence prevention leads, including in Prince Rupert.
By supporting health authorities in transitioning their security teams, hospitals and health centres will have staff that aren't just security guards, they are partners in safety.
This new model and these new staff will ensure that people keeping hospitals safe have an acute awareness of patients and their surroundings, as well as how to anticipate, de-escalate and prevent aggression.
When you base your approach on trauma-informed practice and care, we all have better outcomes.
We know that health care comes from a team working together. Our doctors, nurses, radiologists, specialized techs and care aides all have an important role to play in treating patients.
It's time to remember that security professionals are a valued part of this team too.
The MLA's nod to the new provincial measures can be explored further from this announcement from the Ministry of Health from October 24th.
Though it's not really clear, how the additional security plan outlined there, would work towards someone armed and considering the use of weapons at a health care facility, or on health care workers.
From the incident of last week, the individual related to the case file will be in court later this month to answer to the three Charges to brought forward by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The observations from Ms. Rice do however bring home the very serious nature of the incident and the concerns when it comes to safety at health facilities in the city.
One which other than an interview with the local paper, Northern Health officials have yet to issue a statement towards, or outline how their new expanded security provisions will work and how they may evolve in the future.
Ms. Rice has posted the presentation to the Legislature to her Social Media page.
More notes on Northern Health can be reviewed here.
While further background on the work of all Northwest MLA's at the Legislature is available for review here.
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