Manitoba’s government will continue reviewing safety measures at the Brandon Regional Health Centre following an incident involving a person carrying a knife in the hospital’s emergency department.
The incident occurred on August 31, when a man allegedly caused a disturbance before being apprehended by local security.
Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the incident reinforces the importance of strengthening security measures to ensure health-care workers feel safe on the job.
“It’s a top priority. We want doctors, nurses and professionals to be able to just focus on doing the job so you can be safe to work and go home at the end of the day.”
Potential improvements could include weapons detectors, as Asagwara said the government is considering a range of options to improve safety.
“We are always looking at ways to improve safety and security, whether through weapons detectors, security personnel, triage protocols, staffing or reducing wait times. All of these measures contribute to safety and security.”
Prairie Mountain Health currently employs more than a dozen institutional Safety Officers (ISOs) at the centre, who are responsible for de-escalating situations and managing crisis interventions.
Adding more ISOs remains a possibility, with Asagwara saying the government will continue to listen to concerns and feedback when assessing potential improvements.
“Our goal is to make sure that we continue to listen and learn if incidents occur and continue to make safety and security a top priority and take steps in the right direction,” said Asagwara
