Winnipeg's Grace Hospital will have institutional safety officers on site starting next week, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced Friday. The move comes after police confirmed three staff members were sexually assaulted by a patient last week.
Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara met with hospital workers for two hours, describing the session as emotional. “People are worried about their lives,” Kinew said, “but also worried about their colleagues dealing with the stress of being threatened on the job.”
Asagwara noted over 130 institutional safety officers are already deployed across Manitoba hospitals. Kinew also emphasized efforts to speed up triage, patient transfers to medicine wards, and discharges to reduce safety risks.