But one expert says more healthcare staff needed to improve workplace safety
Some stakeholders have welcomed the Manitoba government’s move to utilise the police force in hopes of ensuring the safety of workers at a Winnipeg hospital.
Last week, the provincial government partnered with the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) to establish a visible presence 24/7 inside the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) Winnipeg emergency department.
“Ensuring the safety of patients and front-line health-care workers is the priority of this investment,” said Uzoma Asagwara, minister of health, seniors and long-term care.
“By funding dedicated police officers within the Health Sciences Centre emergency department, we are taking a proactive step to create a more secure and supportive environment for those seeking care and those providing it. This initiative is designed with the unique community needs of HSC in mind, and will ensure that people in crisis are treated with dignity and care.”
The new initiative includes the deployment of two uniformed WPS members 24/7 and the addition of five new weapon-detection scanners at the main public entrances of the hospital. The initiative is part of larger safety enhancements at HSC Winnipeg that include reducing public access points into the facility, enhancing the HSC Winnipeg ISO programme, security screening, communications systems and protocols, and fortifying security features within the hospital’s tunnel system, according to the Manitoba government.
“I think it’s a positive step,” said Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU), according to a CTV News report.
“I am pleased to see this. I think it’s a positive move, but it is just one move in a list of many moves that need to be made."
In 2024, in a bid to keep hospital workers safe, Manitoba put in place institutional safety officers (ISOs) to patrol HSC Winnipeg. The recent development came after a Doctors Manitoba survey found that nearly 45% of physical safety incidents among physicians in the province in the past year took place at HSC, noted CTV News.
'Grey listing' hospital over safety concerns
In August, the Manitoba Nurses Union said 94% of HSC nurses voted in favour of "grey listing" the hospital to discourage front-line workers from taking jobs there because of safety concerns, according to a CBC report.
"I think the mere presence [of police officers] will make a difference," said Al Wiebe, a longtime community advocate for the homeless and those who live in poverty in Winnipeg, in the report. "Presence is a deterrent."
He added: “It's not about just being safe, it's the feeling of safety.”
However, Jackson sees the move as a temporary solution.
“For the interim, I think it’s a positive move, but I’m not sure it’s a great long-term solution,” she said in the CTV News report.
Many employees claim they have been targets of workplace harassment in the last five years, according to a previous report.
Health-care staffing needed
Improving the staffing numbers should be the government’s focus instead, said Steven Staples, national director of policy with the Canadian Health Coalition (CHC).
“Part of the danger comes because there is not enough staff working in these facilities,” he said. “So, the money that is used for police officers may actually be better used by improving the ratios between health-care workers and the number of patients.”
Staples added: “The safety issue and the number of health-care workers you have in a facility, they go hand-in-hand; they are linked together.”
Earlier this year, Manitoba launched targeted recruitment efforts aimed at bringing displaced researchers to Canada, following the U.S. federal government’s decision to cut thousands of jobs at several American institutions.
