WINDSOR, Ont. – A Windsor, Ont., hospital is increasing security after one mental health patient stabbed another, but the facility says it is trying to strike a balance between safety and patients’ rehabilitation needs.
David Musyj, CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital, said a 17-year-old male patient stabbed a 26-year-old female patient as he returned from a day-pass visit with his family over the weekend.
The hospital currently has a security checkpoint for patients in the mental health ward, but Musyj says the incident happened just before the checkpoint in a general hallway of the hospital.
The hospital is now introducing handheld metal detectors as part of its security screening, but Musyj said the detectors still wouldn’t have prevented the incident because they’d only be used at the mental health ward.
Musyj says the hospital is looking at whether the security checkpoint for mental health patients should be moved forward.
But Musyj says security that is too intensive could have a negative impact on mental health patients.
He says that the hospital will be in talks with other mental health units and security experts to decide how they might further improve their security measures.