The Manitoba government is saying it's listening to its front-line nurses.
They've announced safety upgrades at hospitals across the province. In Prairie Mountain Health, 20 fully funded institutional safety officers have been added. These licensed officers receive specialized training in crisis intervention, de-escalation, and emergency response, providing enhanced on-site support and improving coordination during incidents.
Steve Geletchuk is the manager for emergency preparedness and security services for PMH.
"It's great news. We've been working with the province to help ensure PMH is providing a safe environment for staff and clients," he said. "Any news about funding, new positions, or positions we've been working hand-in-hand with them to implement them."
While PMH has received 20, none of them are outside of Brandon. Geletchuk says Dauphin was left off the list, as was every other community in the Parkland.
"I think the region would benefit from having additional ISOs," he added. "We do have a model where we can deploy our ISOs to any facility in the region. I think it would be great to have additional ISO support in some key facilities."
At the Swan Valley Health Centre, amnesty lockers were installed.
The lockers provide secure storage at entry points to reduce the risk of prohibited items entering hospitals, alongside strengthened monitored access points, expanded surveillance systems and enhanced emergency communication tools as part of a layered safety strategy.
In November, the RCMP responded to the Health Centre after a man locked himself in the washroom with a knife. He was not a patient at the facility.
"And they've had very favourable results from the public and the staff," added Geletchuk. "Clients coming into the building can put their bags in the locker or have their bags searched. Everyone has been very positive about them so far."
The government says it will continue working with health authorities, unions, and front-line teams to expand safety initiatives, monitor progress, and ensure measures remain responsive to the evolving needs of health-care workers and patients.
"It shows some of the work that has been done to help improve safety in our health facilities," ended Geletchuk. "I wish we didn't have to rely on security, but it's a measure that seems to be necessary to ensure safety for everyone."
Around PMH, safety enhancements include improved visitor registration and expanded security patrols. Violence prevention programming has also been implemented.
