Health authority set to dump crucial in-house protection services to cut costs
Hospital staff, other health care workers and concerned groups and individuals will be gathering for a rally in front of St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street, at noon October 18 to protest the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority’s move to dump skilled and experienced security guards who provide quality in-house services and replace them with a low-wage, private contractor in hospitals from Richmond to Powell River.
If the VCHA follows through with the plan, all hospitals in the authority — including B.C.’s largest and busiest facilities, St. Paul’s and VGH — will have to rely on an outside contractor to ensure the safety and protection of patients, health care workers and the visiting public.
Urban hospitals, and emergency rooms in particular, are dangerous places to work and to be cared for. Front-line security staff frequently deal with situations involving force, violence and weapons.
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What: Rally to stop the privatization of hospital security forces
When: Noon, Friday, October 18
Where: In front of St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street