Metal detectors are being installed detectors in urban emergency departments across Regina and Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says.
The SHA said their deployment follows a successful metal detection pilot at the joint emergency department entrance at Royal University Hospital and Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.
However, they also come at a time when several workers at St. Paul’s hospital say violence is rampant in their workplace.
In a letter issued Jan. 11 – amid the death of Trevor Dubois – the workers describe multiple incidents over a three-day period in December with threats, attempts to harm, racism, harassment, and weapons.
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In one case, a patient allegedly rammed into a door before pulling a knife. Another account details an incident where a person entered triage with lacerations on his hands, with St. Paul’s staff later learning he had attacked someone with a machete, which security confiscated from his clothing.
Bryce Boynton, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, told Global News says any changes going forward must continue to include frontline hospital workers.
“Over 60 per cent of our membership who responded to our survey said that they’ve thought about leaving the province or leaving the profession altogether and that’s because of these extreme pressures and negative outcomes that are being placed on them,” he said.
“The government is accountable for health care in this province, so I want them at that table. I want them participating and working closely with us, and I also want them to rely on the experts that are highlighting these issues in their decision making.”
— with files from Ashley Beherns
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