A man has been charged with assault in an alleged attack on a nurse at a Metro Vancouver hospital in an incident police say left the victim seriously injured last month.
Police in Port Moody say a charge of assault causing bodily harm has been approved against 41-year-old Shawn Bradley Forsythe, of no fixed address.
“It’s certainly really concerning for I think the community as a whole as well as the staff at the hospital who were just trying to do their job and keep everyone healthy and safe,” said Port Moody police Const. Sam Zacharias.
Investigators say the man was arrested after officers responded to a call at Eagle Ridge Hospital on Nov. 20 about a discharged patient who allegedly attacked a female nurse.
Police said the woman suffered “serious injuries.”
The B.C. Nurses’ Union says the incident is yet another reminder of the violence its members face in the workplace.
“She was viciously attacked, it was a very serious assault, serious injuries,” said union president Adriane Gear.
“We hope that she will be able to return to nursing. Not only are there physical injuries that need to be overcome, I can only imagine the psychological trauma, the psychological injuries that occurred, and in some instances we do not see nurses returning to the profession after sustaining such a serious injury.”
Gear said many nurses feel the tolerance of violence against health care workers is increasing.
Police say they arrested the man immediately after the alleged attack.
Forsythe is scheduled to appear in court in Port Coquitlam on Feb. 10.
With files from the Canadian Press