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Media Contacts

Laura Heinze

Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)
Laura.Heinze@gov.bc.ca

David Cubberley

Campaigns Officer
BC Nurses' Union
604 992-9226
Dcubberley@bcnu.org

Backgrounders

Safety actions at four priority sites

Actions to improve safety, which will be carried out or are currently underway at the four priority sites, include:

Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam

  • Replacing the distress system, ensuring staff can send and receive alerts quickly and easily.
  • Creating a co-ordinator position to develop and support formal mentoring programs for specialized units and new staff, with a focus on violence prevention.
  • Enhancing orientation and training requirements, including an increase to orientation time.

Hillside Centre in Kamloops

  • Increasing staffing levels to ensure staff can safely care for patients, especially during periods of lower staffing, such as night shifts.
  • Adding enhanced 24/7 mental-health worker positions — these staff will be part of the care team and familiar with patient care plans, as well as having the skills for violence response and de-escalation.
  • Introducing new and improved training and education, including sessions focused on interpersonal communication, respectful workplace practices and resolving conflict.

Seven Oaks Tertiary Mental Health in Victoria

  • Introducing access to security, to help reduce the need for staff to perform hands-on patient restraint, and other high-risk activities.
  • Adding a low-stimulation room, which provides a relaxing environment for agitated residents.
  • Adding a clinical nurse supervisor position, to provide mentorship and further support care planning and staff education.

Abbotsford Regional Hospital

  • Upgrading communication systems and panic buttons, ensuring staff have reliable access to help when they need it.
  • Upgrading and adding security cameras in interview and triage areas, to further assist staff in acting quickly in case of violence or aggression.
  • Enhancing access to seclusion room space to more appropriately care for patients that are aggressive, at risk of self-harm or at risk of elopement.

Media Contacts

Laura Heinze

Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)
Laura.Heinze@gov.bc.ca

David Cubberley

Campaigns Officer
BC Nurses' Union
604 992-9226
Dcubberley@bcnu.org

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