Brightshores Health System has released a statement about an incident at the Markdale hospital.
They say on Monday November 2nd, police responded to a patient exhibiting aggressive behaviour in the emergency department.
Brightshores says the incident was witnessed by patients, families and visitors, and notes, “Brightshores sincerely apologizes to those affected by this situation.”
They say, “The safety of our patients, families, staff, physicians and volunteers remains our highest priority,” adding, “Violence, threats and aggressive behaviour toward healthcare workers are not acceptable. Our teams have the right to work in a safe environment while providing care to the communities they serve.”
“We are grateful for the professionalism, judgment and quick actions demonstrated by our team in what was a challenging and unpredictable situation. The team followed established procedures and worked together to help protect patients, visitors and one another while emergency responders mobilized,” says Brightshores.
Brightshores says, “Support is being provided to our team members. In addition, Brightshores is undertaking a comprehensive review of safe rooms across the organization to ensure they continue to effectively support staff safety, quality patient care and emergency response efforts.”
Brightshores says violence, threats and aggressive behaviour toward healthcare workers are not acceptable, noting, “Our teams have the right to work in a safe environment while providing care to the communities they serve.”
The hospital group has not provided details about what happened citing privacy concerns for patients, but says they are undertaking a comprehensive review of safe rooms across the organization.