Nurse reports being assaulted at Royal Columbian hospital, sparking renewed calls for better security
CBC
A nurse who says she was assaulted while working at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster on Halloween night is demanding better security for health-care workers.
CBC News has agreed to withhold the name of the nurse who says she fears the potential employment consequences of speaking out.
In the early morning hours of Nov. 1, the nurse says a man entered the emergency room waiting area at the hospital and demanded a place to sleep after verbally abusing staff at the registration desk.
The nurse says when she went out to question what he needed, he began hitting her several times with his backpack. The man then made his way into the emergency room and lay down on a stretcher.
The nurse says security guards were not in their booth since they have other responsibilities such as patrolling the building but help eventually arrived.
CBC News has contacted Paladin Security, which provides security for the hospital, for a comment on the incident.
New Westminster police confirmed officers arrested a man after being called to the hospital for what appeared to be an unprovoked assault.
A statement said the man was not a patient and added officers will be recommending charges in connection with the attack.
Fraser Health said that even with "safeguards in place, recognizing violent behaviour can be difficult" and that the health authority had debriefed on this incident to seek lessons learned.
The health authority said the matter is being investigated internally and will be reviewed to ensure an appropriate level of security and other measures are in place for staff and patients.
The vice president of the B.C. Nurses Union says she was "deeply troubled" by the attack.
"We are doing everything we can to support that nurse and their colleagues," Danette Thomsen told CBC in an interview.
The union has been advocating for increased hospital security for the better part of a decade, she says.
Representatives have been calling on health authorities since 2014 to provide better training, appropriate staffing, immediate reporting and investigations and proper support for nurses who have been attacked.
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