Car crash into Cowichan ER prompts repeated calls for more security in hospitals

B.C. nurses are again renewing their calls for more security at hospitals after a frightening incident at a Vancouver Island ER.

It was a frightening incident that has left health-care workers rattled: A car driven into the emergency room at Cowichan District Hospital on Saturday, the driver allegedly then assaulting a paramedic.

The incident has left the B.C. Nurses Union repeating calls for more security in health-care settings.

“It was extremely traumatizing,” said Adriane Gear, the president of the BCNU.

The nurses say they’ll pay for a pilot project for an AI weapons detection system. One health authority has agreed to do it, and the province says it’s in talks about it, but nurses say more than just technology is needed.

“Where it makes sense, we are looking at a peace officer model, hospital police, whatever you want to call it. Law enforcement,” said Gear.

Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko was calling for police or peace officers in some hospitals six months ago. She’s frustrated that those calls have gone unheeded.

“It’s time for the minister to finally take some action and bring in a higher level of trained officers to help deal with the violence in hospitals,” said Sturko.

Health Minister Josie Osborne says the province’s program involving relational security officers – guards without guns – is helping, pointing to a decline in reported attacks on nurses.

“We know that this program is working, bringing down the numbers of incidents of violence, bringing down the WorkSafe(BC) claims,” said Osborne Thursday.

But the nurses say those stats may not tell the whole story.

“In many instances, my members, they’re very transparent that they do not report a lot of things that are reportable, because they report and they don’t see change,” said Gear.

And Sturko points to 165 injury claims approved by WorkSafeBC last year by relational security officers themselves as proof that more resources – in the form of highly trained peace or police officers – are needed.

“The fact that people are getting injured really is an indication that they’re not sufficiently trained to deal with what’s happening on the ground,” she said.