Health committee  I think that is disastrous. The reality is that mental health patients come into our emergency rooms, and they sit for hours, sometimes days. They sit on stretchers in bright lights, and they're in very exposed areas so people can observe them. We have floor cleaners going by, lo

Health committee  That's a great question. I wish I had the answer. That is the issue. We want to provide safe, ethical care to our patients. We want to make sure there are enough staff to safely provide dignified care. The reality is that care is being provided in environments that lack resource

Health committee  The violence support hotline was really something that came about because our members told us that it's very difficult to report. Although there are processes in place, it's confusing. There is so much documentation and there are so many requirements to report unsafe patient even

Health committee  I think our first recommendation would be to invest in our mental health care system. We need to make sure there are proactive strategies to support those living with mental illness. We certainly want to see a reduction of stigma, and that there's access to care. Unfortunately,

Health committee  Really, all we can do is echo what the previous speakers have said. Absolutely, education and training are paramount—not just a one-time shop, though. For appropriate violence prevention strategies and training, I think there need to be ongoing simulations and practice, but that

Health committee  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak here today. My name is Adriane Gear. I'm the executive councillor for health and safety for the B.C. Nurses' Union. I'm joined today by BCNU occupational health and safety director, Moninder Singh. Both of us are honoured to hav