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The Saskatchewan Health Authority says metal detectors installed the entrances to health facilities around the province are making the hospitals and health centres safer for the public.
This month, metal detectors were added to the Regina Urgent Care Centre, the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital and the Battlefords Union Hospital. The former two are already up and running, while the union hospital’s metal detectors will be operational by Monday, the health authority said.
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The move follows the installation of metal detectors last month at Royal University Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital and City Hospital in Saskatoon, as well as Regina General Hospital and Pasqua Hospital in response to safety concerns highlighted by health workers and the Saskatchewan NDP.
“Like health systems across Canada, SHA facilities are seeing an increase in violent incidents and weapons entering emergency departments, and the organization is responding with strengthened measures,” the health authority said in a statement.
“Safety is one of the SHA’s core values. Installing metal detectors is an important step to support safer care environments and to prevent weapons from entering our buildings.”
The health authority said restricted items that will not be allowed through the checkpoints include duffel bags, luggage, food coolers, any form of weapon or sharp object, ammunition, explosives, flammable materials, bear spray or aerosols.
“Spiritual or religious items are not restricted unless they pose a clear and immediate risk to the safety of patients, staff, or visitors,” the health authority added.
Members of the public passing through the screening checkpoints will be asked to declare if they have any restricted items.
“If a restricted item is declared or detected during screening, Protective Services Officers will provide the person with the opportunity to remove the item from the facility or secure it in a designated locker before they are permitted to enter the building,” the health authority explained.
“Illegal items cannot be stored. Those who have stored items will received a claim ticket to present upon exit to retrieve the items from the locker.”
Visitors to the hospitals equipped with metal detectors will be required to remove metal objects from their pockets and person and place them in a bin before passing through the detector.
“An officer will also screen the contents of the bin and any bags they have with them,” the health authority said. “A hand-operated wand scanner may also be used to confirm that no prohibited items are entering the facility.”
The wands will also be used for visitors with pacemakers.
“Two detectors will be available when entering each of the Prince Albert and North Battleford facilities,” the Saskatchewan Health Authority added.
“One will be dedicated to allowing quicker access to the building and will accommodate those needing immediate or emergent medical services. If you enter either of these hospitals and require emergency care, you are asked to inform the protective services officers present immediately.”
Staff, contractors and police or corrections personnel will need to keep a valid ID on them to avoid the screening process.
The health authority said it is adding “the equivalent of 51 full-time Protective Services positions across the province to provide 24/7 staffing and ensure consistent operations and screening at the sites where the technology is being deployed.”
Meanwhile, the provincial government has ordered an independent review of hospital security in Saskatchewan in response to reports of rising rates of violence and other safety concerns.
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the review is to examine how security is delivered in hospitals and identify areas where safety can be enhanced.
“We are listening,” Cockrill said at a news conference in Saskatoon last month.
“Everyone who walks through the doors of a Saskatchewan health-care facility deserves to feel safe.”
–with files from The Canadian Press
