St. Boniface Hospital nurse says he won't vote to grey list it as security is boosted

A St. Boniface Hospital nurse told CBC he does not plan to vote to declare the facility 'grey listed' while the hospital has increased parkade security and offered a staff safety app after a November incident; the Manitoba Nurses Union has announced a vote but has not set a date.

René Piché, a nurse who works in the cardiac intensive care unit at St. Boniface Hospital, told CBC he does not plan to vote to grey list the facility. The Manitoba Nurses Union has said it will hold a vote on whether to declare the hospital an unsafe workplace but has not set a date. The vote follows a November incident in which a nurse was sexually assaulted in the hospital parkade and a suspect was charged. Hospital leaders have increased overnight parkade security, locked parkade doors and offered a safety app for staff. What is reported: - René Piché said he has worked at St. Boniface for more than two years and does not feel unsafe in his area of work. - The Manitoba Nurses Union represents more than 13,000 nurses and plans a vote on grey listing; the date is not yet set. - A nurse was sexually assaulted in the hospital parkade on Nov. 8, and a 27-year-old man was charged in connection with the incident. - St. Boniface has boosted parkade security, locked access doors and provided a staff safety app as part of its response. - The union says some nurses at St. Boniface have raised major safety concerns, and staff were affected by two recent patient deaths after visits to the emergency department. Summary: The report highlights differing experiences among staff about workplace safety at St. Boniface Hospital and measures the hospital says it has taken in response to recent incidents. If the union vote proceeds and passes, St. Boniface would become the third Manitoba hospital to be grey listed by nurses in recent months. The date for the St. Boniface vote and any formal outcomes are undetermined at this time.