A provincial initiative created to make provincial health-care facilities safer environments for all has made its way to Salmon Arm.
Patients and visitors to Shuswap Lake General Hospital may come across Navkamal Dhaliwal, David Li, Shawn Bergeron or Shubhkaran Khurmi. They should be easy to identify by their black vests with the word "SECURITY" written across the back. The four make up the hospital's new Relational Security Officer (RSO) team. Hired by Interior Health, RSOs are trained professionals who integrate trauma-informed practices, workplace violence prevention and mental health support into their work.
"We give them extra training in workplace violence prevention and mental-health support乌鸦传媒� that kind of focus is to build on clinical relationships, de-esclation of tension and insuring that we乌鸦传媒檙e trying to lower the emotional situation a person might have, along with the psychological safety when they enter into one of our environments," said IH protection services operations manager Michael Moyer. "The model is designed not only to improve actual overall security of our sites乌鸦传媒� but also to support the health-care workers and provide quality care wherever that乌鸦传媒檚 possible."
The RSO model was initiated by B.C.'s health ministry in 2022, in response to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing toxic-drug crisis. RSOs receive training in workplace violence prevention and mental health, along with the necessary knowledge, skills and language to apply a trauma-informed perspective to interactions with patients, families, clients and colleagues.
In October 2022, the Province provided health authorities with funding to establish a relational security model in 26 health-care settings and hire staff to support it. The new model ensures all security personnel have an acute awareness of patients and their surroundings, as well as how to anticipate, de-escalate and ultimately prevent aggression. It is based on trauma-informed practice, which integrates knowledge of how people are affected by trauma into procedures, practices and services to create a safer environment for staff and patients. Indigenous cultural safety and anti-Indigenous racism are key components of the training.
"Safety extends beyond physical measures to include emotional and psychological aspects, and it just ties into that overall B.C. health and human resource strategy focusing on recruiting, training and retaining health-care professionals, so if they乌鸦传媒檙e in a better place and they乌鸦传媒檙e safer and more satisfied with their work environment they乌鸦传媒檙e going to stay," said Moyer.
Moyer said the Salmon Arm hospital will have an RSO on shift day and night, noting if there's a need one could be pulled from a hospital in a neighbouring community. Their job includes tasks one might expect of a security officer such as patrolling the buildings and grounds, enforcing regulations and security procedures, identifying risks, safety and security hazards and taking appropriate action. RSOs are also trained to respond to emergencies such as the Interior Health Disaster Plan, fire and physically aggressive patients; investigate, resolve and report disturbances using non-violent interventions; and provides security staff and patients to maintain a safe and orderly workplace.
As needed, RSOs will liaise with the RCMP, the fire department and/or other community officials regarding fire and security protocol, response, incidents and investigations. While RSOs have a clear mandate that doesn't step into police jurisdiction, Moyer said having them on hand will hopefully "minimize the time we have to call the RCMP."
Moyer stressed RSOs are very approachable.
"That乌鸦传媒檚 the part that we want to make sure of乌鸦传媒� you're seeing somebody that is very much looking like a professional security officer, but at the same time, they can speak and they can talk to the clients and create those relationships in a manner that makes people feel more comfortable," said Moyer.
