BC Nurses' Union praises quick thinking of nurses and front-line staff, demands improvements to security after man shoots himself in Grand Forks emergency room

Nurses and front-line staff who work at Boundary District Hospital in Grand Forks are traumatized after a man walked into the emergency room on Thursday evening, pulled out a gun and shot himself.

The victim was airlifted to a Vancouver-area hospital and his condition is unknown.

BCNU President Gayle Duteil says while nurses and staff acted quickly and professionally during the frightening incident, it highlights the growing concern of violence and weapons in emergency rooms around the province.

"Our information tells us that this man entered the hospital through the ambulance bay, which is in the back of the hospital, and didn't say anything before he shot himself. There wasn't a lot of forewarning and staff were caught off-guard. Of course they are extremely distraught as a result. Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is nothing protecting our members and other front-line staff from this sort of violence. I fear that the problem is only going to get worse."

Patients were moved from the emergency room to a safer location in the hospital while an ER physician and manager tended to the victim. Interior Health's crisis management team is presently assisting the nurses.

BCNU spoke to senior leadership at Interior Health Friday morning. They will be discussing partnering together to address the problem, such as developing more effective policies that better protect front-line hospital staff. However, this needs to involve all levels including the Ministry of Health and government resources.

Duteil says this incident might be something she'd expect to see at hospitals in larger centres, and that it highlights the fact that smaller communities aren't immune to the growing number of violent incidents.

"At many of these small hospitals, there isn't a security guard or any line of defence between the front door and the triage area," she says. "Sometimes locking the doors after hours is the only option."