The CBC Radio show White Coat Black Art took a closer look at the issue of Nursing as an Occupational Hazard and the story of Manitoba nurse Jennifer Noone, who took a man to court following an alleged assault and said she has no regrets even though the charges were stayed.
As part of this special episode, MNU President Darlene Jackson was interviewed by show host Dr. Brian Goldman and brought up our union’s long-standing concern that Employers are not informing the union when an assault takes place. Here’s an excerpt from the article that was written to accompany the radio show:
It's difficult to quantify the number of assaults, Jackson said, because of changes in the way they're being reported.
"In the past, every time a nurse in this province had some type of abuse or violence situation, we would get a report. And it was very clear where it happened, who the nurse was, what the violent act was," she said.
A union rep would then follow up with that nurse to ensure they received psychological help and other medical care and that they had filled out workers' compensation forms, so plans could be used to prevent similar incidents at that facility, Jackson said.
But since amendments to Manitoba's Personal Health Information Act came into effect in 2022, employers have been opting to anonymize those reports, she said, meaning the union can't take action unless a member specifically chooses to let it know. "What we're finding is that nurses aren't really reporting this as much as they should because they know it's not going to go anywhere."
President Jackson also gave kudos to Jennifer Noone for coming forward.
Visit the show’s website to listen to the full episode.