Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) is pleased to announce that newly-trained institutional safety officers (ISOs) have begun patrolling Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC). A formal ‘graduation ceremony’ for the 16 officers and one supervisor who were enrolled in the training program was held in Brandon on January 3.
According to a PMH media release, “ISO’s are licensed as Peace Officers and, in health-care environments, have additional training in crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques, search and investigative skills, evidence collecting and report writing. They also have training which allows them to accept a mental health patient from the police and then secure and protect them until seen by healthcare professionals.”
Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the BRHC ISO program, the first outside the city of Winnipeg, will enhance the health centre’s ability to keep staff, patients and visitors safe
“Everyone deserves to feel safe when they are accessing health care and when they are providing it. During the listening tour, we heard directly from front-line staff at the Brandon Regional Health Centre about the safety and security concerns they have for themselves, their coworkers, and their patients. After many years of inaction by the previous government, we’re taking real steps to address these concerns. Institutional Safety Officers presence will go a long way in addressing those concerns so that healthcare workers can focus on what they do best: caring for our loved ones,” Asagwara stated.
Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate says the addition of ISOs fills a critical role in upholding the highest standards of safety and accountability within PMH facilities.
“Safety of our staff, patients, residents and visitors is paramount. We continue to enhance efforts to balance the security needs of our facilities with the continued need to be a welcoming environment for those seeking care,” Slate stated. She added that the advanced skill set for ISOs enhances PMH’s ability to support those in crisis and helps ease the burden on law enforcement, enabling a more collaborative approach to care and safety.
There are two more BRHC participants finalizing their training through the program.
ISO guards will stand out differently as their body armor will have ‘peace officer’ designations, attributable to the guards being licensed by Manitoba Justice under the Police Services Act. ISO guards will also wear a different
colour uniform shirt than the other levels of security guards.
