MEDIA ADVISORY: NBRHC hospital nurses, PSWs and other front-line staff among those surveyed in new pandemic violence poll, released Wednesday in North Bay

Event Information

Begins: 20 July 2022 @ 11:00 AM
Location: North Bay, ON

NORTH BAY, ON –/COMMUNITYWIRE/– A new poll that includes North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) front-line hospital registered practical nurses (RPNs), personal support workers (PSWs), administrative, cleaning and other staff reveals a pandemic surge in physical violence, sexual assault and racially-motivated attacks against them.

Polling conducted by Oracle Research for the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) May 17-24, findings show that hospitals – including North Bay’s – are an increasingly toxic and dangerous workplaces, where violence against a workforce who are more than 90% female in the case of hospitals in northern Ontario, is “not only tolerated, but sadly, largely ignored,” says Sharon Richer, the secretary-treasurer of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE).

This surge in physical and sexual violence against women and racially motivated attacks comes against a backdrop of severe unprecedented staffing shortages and vacancies in our hospitals.

The local North Bay hospital administration, the new health minister and the Premier “cannot look the other way. They cannot be silent. They must act. This is violence against women who are on our health care front-lines,” says Richer.

For the first time, since CUPE began surveying its large (90,000 plus) health sector membership about their experiences with workplace violence, participants on this latest poll were asked about violent incidents involving weapons – including, knives, guns, sticks. The survey reveals a jump in the use of weapons like guns and knives against staff.

The portrait of the mental health of the workforce that the poll points to is a significant explanation for the exodus of health care workers and for the large vacancy rates for all occupations in Ontario hospitals.

The alarming findings from CUPE’s northern Ontario poll – which includes HSN hospital staff respondents – will be released by Richer along with RPNs – Dave Verch and Melanie Vieu, Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at 128 McIntyre Street West – CUPE 139 Office.

In addition to the North Bay/northern Ontario data being released Wednesday, CUPE polled more than 2300 front-line hospital sector members across Ontario.

Thoughout July, similar polls of Peterborough and Toronto/GTA front-line hospital staff experiences with violence at their worksites during the pandemic, will be released.

-30-

For more information please contact:

Stella Yeadon
CUPE Communications
416-559-9300
syeadon@cupe.ca