BC nurses rallying today, calling for inclusion in PTSD legislation
Posted May 3, 2018 8:46 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Unionized nurses are hitting the streets of Vancouver today to protest new provincial legislation that prevents them from getting the same access to treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder as first responders.
The BC Nurses’ Union says members are exposed to traumatic situations that compare with what police officers, paramedics and firefighters deal with on a daily basis.
Last month, the union’s acting president told NEWS 1130 that routine exposure to patient trauma takes a toll on BCNU members.
Christine Sorensen says nurses deal with trauma not only in ERs and ICUs, but also in palliative care units and in residential care. She argues nurses are also exposed to violence “nearly every day.”
While the union welcomes the changes the BC government is bringing in — which is aimed at speeding up treatment for firefighters, police, paramedics, sheriffs, and correctional officers — it is disappointed that nurses are not included.
According to the BCNU, the provincial government has enough data to show what kind of traumas nurses face regularly.
“The data shows that from 2016, nurses accounted for nearly 12 per cent of all mental disorder claims, and over 10 per cent of all claims registered for PTSD,” Sorensen said. “So nurses are exposed to, and are reporting, violence and mental disorders, mental illness and PTSD and they’re not being listened to by WorkSafe.”
Labour Minister Harry Bains has said he’s examining how to expand the Bill 9 legislation to include other workers in high-risk occupations.
Today’s rally is set to start at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Georgia Street at noon and will end on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
