Machete attack, dislocated jaw: Nurses detail violent incidents at Fraser Health hospital

Two nurses are speaking retired astir convulsive incidents they experienced portion moving successful the exigency section astatine Eagle Ridge Hospital (ERH) successful Port Moody, B.C. — saying the Fraser Health Authority (FHA) has failed to supply a harmless moving environment, and has sought to soundlessness employees who talk out. 

Veteran caregiver Arden Foley says she is not returning to enactment due to the fact that of lingering station traumatic accent from an onslaught by a patient. Victoria Treacy, says she was suspended and placed nether probe by Fraser Health aft she spoke retired astir a diligent who threatened her colleagues with a machete.

The wellness authorization said Treacy, who currently works astatine the infirmary arsenic a casual FHA employee, wasn't suspended oregon enactment nether investigation. 

However, the women's stories are 2 of galore included successful a lawsuit filed against the wellness authorization successful the B.C. Supreme Court successful Vancouver connected June 6.

WATCH | Fraser Health nurses talk out: 

In the lawsuit, exigency doc Kaitlin Stockton alleges that her occupation was threatened by the authorization aft she tried to pass patients astir lengthy delays successful the ER.

It besides alleges that deteriorating enactment conditions successful exigency rooms person led to preventable deaths, and describes a slew of convulsive incidents against employees.

In 1 instance, a caregiver was allegedly strangled by a patient, and aft 8 weeks disconnected work, suffered 4 breached ribs from a abstracted attack. In another, a physician allegedly suffered injuries aft being attacked by a pit bull successful the ER.

"These events are truthful communal that they are normalized and are seldom if ever acknowledged by FHA absorption and leadership," the suit alleges.

Fraser Health told CBC News it does not comment connected matters that are earlier the courts.

When CBC News asked astir convulsive incidents, the authorization responded with a statement. 

"We are profoundly acrophobic astir the convulsive incidents that occurred astatine Eagle Ridge Hospital successful November 2024 and January 2025 and the interaction it had connected unit and aesculapian staff," the authority said successful the statement.

"In March 2025, we accrued information staffing successful the Emergency Department astatine Eagle Ridge Hospital successful nonstop effect to caller convulsive incidents. We besides strengthened grooming for tract information and accrued on-the-floor coaching to guarantee unit are afloat prepared to respond effectively."

Speaking retired aft attack

Treacy, 37, was moving a nighttime displacement successful ERH's emergency section successful January 2025 when a antheral threatened unit by yelling and wielding a ample machete. Treacy said she called information and assisted her colleagues successful evacuating patients from the area.

She then spoke to respective media outlets, saying the incidental led her to fearfulness for her ain information and that of her colleagues and patients. She said the aforesaid modular of information should beryllium successful spot astatine ERH arsenic determination is astatine larger hospitals successful the region.

A fewer days later, Treacy says she was contacted by the question caregiver bureau that contracts her to Fraser Health.

According to the lawsuit, she was told the wellness authority was asking her not to travel successful for her adjacent scheduled shift because she was being placed nether investigation. 

The lawsuit states "after FHA failed to instrumentality enactment oregon instrumentality changes pursuing the January 14th, 2025 machete incident, the caregiver who had been threatened by the diligent went nationalist to advocator for amended information measures astatine ERH. In response, FHA initiated an probe into the caregiver and suspended her during the process."

In a statement, Fraser Health said it "did not suspend the bureau caregiver involved, nor did we initiate an probe into their conduct."

"We admit that this was a traumatic and distressing lawsuit for everyone progressive and recognize that health-care workers often look highly challenging situations."

But Treacy said successful an interrogation with CBC, that her knowing was that she was being fired. 

"I [spent] an full play reasoning my occupation and my vocation were jeopardized," she said.

"To talk retired astir information and my idiosyncratic acquisition and to beryllium told not to spell backmost to enactment was highly devastating and highly worrying."

Treacy said due to the fact that she was a question caregiver nether declaration astatine the time, she ne'er signed documentation preventing her from speaking to journalists.

"My main connection with those interviews was to inquire for assistance and accidental these are the things that are really happening," she said.

"I conscionable ne'er thought that asking for assistance and asking for information successful our workplace would perchance interaction me."

The incidental is listed successful the suit against Fraser Health arsenic 1 illustration of "a psychologically unsafe and toxic workplace, wherever unit fearfulness speaking retired oregon advocating for themselves and patients owed to a civilization of retaliation against those who do."

Jaw dislocated, PTSD

Foley has worked arsenic a caregiver for 46 years, successful a vocation that took her from the operating country to the exigency ward.

Foley said she is speaking retired present due to the fact that she nary longer works astatine the wellness authority.

She said that connected Nov. 20, 2024, she was connected displacement astatine ERH erstwhile she was severely injured by a diligent who had suffered an overdose.

Foley said she was successful the process of unhooking them from a instrumentality successful bid to discharge them, erstwhile they abruptly and violently kicked her successful the head. The unit of the footwear allegedly slammed her against a wall.

According to the suit "the battle near the caregiver with a jaw dislocation, a concussion, and PTSD. This caregiver has not been capable to instrumentality to work."

Foley filed a assertion with WorkSafeBC, pressed charges against the diligent and discontinue her job.

"It took maine weeks conscionable to not deliberation of him and the incident. I felt precise aggravated astatine the time. I didn't consciousness that I had done thing incorrect and yet I was inactive blaming myself, reasoning possibly I could person done things different," she said.

"I've ne'er experienced an battle oregon unit oregon aggression arsenic I did that day."

In a statement, the wellness authority said "a Fraser Health manager reached retired to the caregiver connected November 21 to connection their enactment and pass the supports and resources that are disposable done Fraser Health for employees who person experienced unit successful the workplace."

Foley accessed counselling to assistance with the symptoms of her post-traumatic stress, but yet decided not to instrumentality to nursing aft speaking with her colleagues. 

"Everyone I talked to determination was telling maine however the concern had deteriorated — the moving conditions, the accrued workload, and instances of aggressive, abusive behaviour toward our unit and different patients," she said.

"Losing my individuality arsenic a caregiver was what this incidental has outgo me — I lost my individuality with my career, and present it's over."

The B.C. Nurses' Union (BCNU) said the fig of convulsive incidents that force their members to instrumentality clip disconnected enactment has been connected the rise. According to the union's website, they correspond astir 50,000 nurses. 

BCNU said the fig of claims for nursing unit — including licensed applicable nurses, registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and nursing coordinators and supervisors — climbed 48 per cent from astir 29 a period successful 2016 to astir 43 a period successful 2024.

"None of america were ever expecting that this benignant of unit would hap successful our careers. It has escalated dramatically even since I became a caregiver and unluckily we bash request amended information measures," Treacy said.

"It is not a satellite I privation to unrecorded in, but unfortunately, these are the things we are being faced with."