The BC Conservatives have called for the deployment of peace officers to hospitals in the Lower Mainland amid a spate of violence against nurses and other healthcare professionals at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody.Public Safety Critic Elenore Sturko also demanded an independent investigation into Fraser Health's handling of violence in the workplace and "disturbing allegations of retaliation against those who speak up.""The Minister of Public Safety confirmed that the Government's Relational Security Officers are NOT licensed to deal with weapons and violence," Sturko said in a statement. "The government must shift to a healthcare safety model that is equipped to deal with the risk faced by healthcare workers every day.".She cited a CBC investigation that found nurses had allegedly been attacked by patients. One longtime employee suffered a dislocated jaw, while another was threatened with a machete and has not returned to work due to post traumatic stress.Their stories are just some of those highlighted in a lawsuit filed against Fraser Health in the BC Supreme Court on June 6. Plaintiffs have argued that rather than offering help following attacks, the authority instead turned on them.Fraser Health said security staffing was increased in light of the incidents, but Sturko maintained that this wasn't enough.."I'm calling on the government to deploy trained peace officers in high-risk emergency departments to protect both staff and patients," she said. "We need an independent investigation into Fraser Health's handling of workplace violence and the disturbing allegations of retaliation against those who speak up. It's time we implement real whistleblower protections so healthcare workers can raise concerns without fear, and to mandate province-wide hospital violence prevention protocols that ensure every facility is a safe place to work and receive care."Sturko asked Minister Gary Begg to "put [himself] in the shoes of a nurse," asking if his response would change if his jaw was "violently dislocated.""In the legislature elected officials are protected by police, security, and metal detectors," she added. "Our healthcare professionals and their patients should be entitled to the same level of protection."
