Northern Ont. hospital reports increase in violence

Staff at the Manitoulin Health Centre says violence against staff has spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials at a hospital in northern Ontario are voicing concerns over an increase in violence toward staff.

Paula Fields, president and CEO of Manitoulin Health Centre, said since the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a 40 per cent increase in violence.

“Staff are experiencing verbal threats (and) physical aggression,” Fields said.

“There’s been a lot of property damage to our facility. Just in general, staff feel threatened and not safe to be at work.”

Recently, the hospital installed signs around the hospital that say acts of violence won’t be tolerated. And in the past year, the centre has enhanced security systems and hired 24/7 on-site security.

“We’ve enhanced our security cameras so staff can see in real-time the movement throughout the hospital,” Fields said.

“We’ve introduced a new security system where staff wear fobs and they can alert IT dispatchers to the police immediately. Or there’s panic buttons throughout the organization.”

She said the measures were costly but necessary.

“Many hospitals across the province right now are in a deficit position and MHC is not unlike other hospitals,” Fields said.

“We’re estimating it’s going to cost us about $700,000 a year for security services.”

When CTV News visited the hospital in Little Current on Monday, the door of one of two safe rooms was severely damaged. The glass was broken and the door handle ripped off.

Fields said capacity issues due to increased volumes at other hospitals force them to keep mental health and addiction patients longer than ever before.

“Small rural hospitals have had to keep these patients and keep them safe and keep our staff safe for longer periods of time before they can be transported,” she said.

“So, we’ve had small rooms available that we’ve kind of makeshift to keep them safe. However, it’s not enough. We’re finding these rooms are being damaged. There’s potential for patients to harm themselves or staff.”

Fields also said the safe rooms the hospital currently has are not up to standard.

“Typically, a safe room would have a bathroom for the patient to use, and we don’t have that,” she said.

“So, we have to call a police officer to escort the patient to the bathroom.”

She said the hospital is proposing a $2 million capital project to the Ministry of Health to create two true safe rooms at each site.

The hospital is also working closely with the Ontario Hospital Association to identify ways to enhance safety.

In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Health said the province “is working with our partners to reduce and prevent workplace violence and harassment.”

“Each year, our government invests over $100 million annually to support occupational health and safety prevention initiatives and research in alignment with our OHS strategy, Prevention Works. Workplace violence and harassment, along with work-related mental health is a core focus of this strategy.”

“The ministry has also developed a guide, ‘Workplace violence prevention in health care: A guide to the law for hospitals, long-term care homes and home care,’” the statement added.

“Our government will continue to work with our hospital partners, and the Ontario Hospital Association, to ensure all of our hospitals have the tools they need to continue delivering the high-quality care patients deserve.”