A nurse in Abbotsford is recovering after he was attacked during the weekend, leaving him with stitches.
The 39-year old nurse was working in the emergency room of the Abbotsford Regional Hospital when the alleged attack occurred, leaving him with seven stitches below and above his left eye.
Abbotsford Police say a 23-year-old suspect faces charges, and was being treated for mental health issues in hospital.
The B.C. Nurses' Union criticized the lack of safety afforded to nurses at a meeting last week, assuring members that they would be seeking legal action against anyone who hurts a nurse.
“What we’re seeing as the nurses' union is increasing levels of violence in all of our facilities whether that be in acute care or residential care or even if our nurses are out in the community,” said Christine Sorensen, the vice-president of the union, on Monday.
She says she has seen an increasing trend of violence towards nurses.
The union’s stance is being supported members who have been attacked by patients.
“I think in some cases, that might be the appropriate course,” said Rhonda Bennett, a nurse who was assaulted by a patient at Vancouver General Hospital in November.
Bennett suffered a dislocated jaw in the ordeal.
She says she would like to see a telephone help line set up for nurses as well.
Fraser Health has started a review to examine what happened at the hospital.
“We do a thorough review to determine what happened if we needed to implement any other mitigation strategies,” said spokesman Ken Donohue.
