B.C. Nurses Vow to Take Patient Violence to Court – continued from page 8
Duteil said that nurses are often expected to shake off the slaps, punches and scratches they get from unruly or mentally disturbed patients. The situation contrasts with many U.S. states, which have strengthened criminal penalties for assaulting nurses.
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Nurse Attacks: Are Bruises and Black Eyes the New Face of B.C. Health Care? The recent attack on a nurse at Abbotsford Hospital, recently fined $75,000 for failing to protect workers from violence, is the latest in a string of assaults on B.C. nurses and doctors that many say should be tackled differently. "It is a blatant lack of compliance, that's a big part of the problem," said David Durning, Senior Labour Relations Officer with the Health Sciences Association of B.C. Durning points to the fact that the hospital was fined last May for three violent incidents, including a stabbing. In fact, every B.C. health authority has been penalized by WorkSafeBC after violent incidents in their facilities. But union representatives say that process isn't working to protect employees from unpredictable and often dangerous patients—partly because it takes so long.
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Stephanie Cadieux Says Mental Health Nurses' Safety Inadequate B.C.'s Minister for Children and Families, Stephanie Cadieux, has admitted safety protocols at a forensic unit at the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre, are not good enough to keep nurses safe and has promised upgrades. Staff said there are currently no panic alarms or safety measures to protect them from young patients, some of whom are extremely violent. Psychiatric nurse Jewels Bainbridge, who was attacked by a youth two years ago, said the only mechanism with which workers can call for help are walkie-talkies, which WorkSafe B.C. call "deficient," because batteries die, the radios don't work in all of the units and often youth will steal them. The panic alarms Cadieux says are available to staff do not track nurses' locations nor do they send a call for help when the panic button is pushed.
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