US EditionNurses Union Wants Weapons Screening, Officers, for Alberta Hospitals Due to Violence
The union says four in 10 nurses faced physical violence last year and wants scanners and protective officers expanded across Alberta emergency departments.
- United Nurses of Alberta President Heather Smith is urging the government to accelerate hospital weapons screening following a stabbing last week at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital that left a 42-year-old man with life-threatening injuries.
- Two Edmonton Police Service members intervened on April 3 after noticing two men fighting in the emergency waiting room, where one assailant was found with three edged weapons and faced assault charges.
- Calling the incident a "critical failure," Smith wrote a Thursday letter to Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones, arguing that overcrowding and lack of capacity fuel emergency department violence.
- Jones responded that the province is working to "accelerate implementation timelines" for screening, noting that 101 additional protective services staff are being hired across Alberta to bolster safety.
- Manitoba and Nova Scotia Health have already implemented security measures, including police funding and AI weapons detection systems, while Alberta continues to evaluate security initiatives for its own emergency departments.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Nurses union wants weapons screening, officers, for Alberta hospitals due to violence
The president of the United Nurses of Alberta is calling for quicker installation of weapons scanners at urban hospitals, saying her members face “threats of violence almost daily.” Heather Smith’s call follows a stabbing last week in the emergency department at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital that left a 42-year-old man requiring treatment for life-threatening injuries. Hospital and […]
Nurses union wants weapons screening, officers, for Alberta hospitals due violence
The president of the United Nurses of Alberta wants quicker installation of weapons scanners at urban hospitals, saying her members face “threats of violence almost daily.” Heather Smith’s call follows a stabbing last week in the emergency department at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital that left a 42-year-old man requiring treatment for life-threatening injuries. Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones said after the attack …
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