‘Escalating violence’ makes Swan River nurses feel unsafe at work

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Nurses in Swan River don’t feel safe coming to work anymore, because of the “escalating violence” that continues to plague the community, the union that represents Manitoba nurses said this week.

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“Recent violence in Swan River, Manitoba, has left many families feeling unsafe. A homicide in the community, schools and daycares on lockdown, and an uneasiness that can be felt throughout the community,” the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU) said in a statement posted to the organization’s Facebook page on Friday morning.

“But for hospital staff, this growing trend hits even harder with insufficient security, if at all.”

According to the union, violence in the ER at the Swan Valley Primary Care Centre is “escalating” and many of the people that nurses are being forced to deal with, shouldn’t be there.

“Random people walking off the elevator and into empty rooms to sleep, or even into staff rooms and helping themselves to items in the fridge,” are not becoming common occurrences at the hospital in Swan River, according to MNU.

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The union called those types of incidents “incredibly unnerving” for nurses.

And without upgrades to the facility’s security system, the MNU fears things will only get worse for nurses in Swan River.

“Most of the cameras in the building don’t work,” the union said. “There is an unsafe triage system and as of November 8th, the overhead paging system is down until further notice. How can you possibly alert the building staff to codes without a proper communications system?

“This is unsafe, unacceptable and a perfect example of poor culture.”

The union said they are also concerned because current harm reduction policies force nurses outside and into increasingly uncomfortable situations.

“The hospital has a 24-hour harm reduction kit policy where nurses are expected to walk off the job and out into the parking lot to administer kits, leaving patients and themselves vulnerable,” the union said.

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The union is calling for immediate action to improve security and safety at the Swan Valley Primary Care Centre.

“Not only do Manitobans deserve better, but the gravity of this situation is one where everyone in leadership who reads this post should stop what they are doing and act,” the union said.

Leaders in Swan River — a community located about 500 km northwest of Winnipeg and home to approximately 4,000 people — have been sounding the alarm about issues of public safety in the community and its harm reduction policies. They’ve said there’s been a visible increase in used drug needles being left behind in the community in recent weeks and months.

“This is one of several issues in our community that are all colliding together,” Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson said in a Friday email about the current situation at the hospital, and in the greater community.

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“It’s making people angry and afraid. Government needs to help deal with these issues of drug trafficking, addictions, public safety, homeless etc., and it’s very similar in many rural communities.”

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said in an email to The Sun, “The people of Swan River and Swan Valley deserve to feel safe at home, at work and in their community. As part of a new public safety strategy, our government is funding a new police unit responsible for investigating organized crime and drug-related crime.

“These special officers will crack down on the drug traffickers who fuel the addictions crisis in our rural communities and contribute to the downstream effects that are harmful for families — like discarded needles in public spaces.”

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Prairie Mountain Health Chief Executive Officer Treena Slate said the health authority is “committed to the safety of our staff, and our clients, patients and residents.”

“We have repaired the Swan Valley Health Centre paging system which failed last week. We are engaged in short and long-term strategies to ensure the site is consistently staffed with (24-hours-a-day) security. We are also in the process of upgrading the CCTV system,” Slate said in an email.

“PMH is aware and working to address Swan Valley Health Centre staff concerns regarding safety and security. We will continue to talk with front-line workers to create a safe work environment for them and their patients.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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