Local nurses and first responders have been advocating for security at the Cypress Regional Hospital for months, and it's finally coming to fruition. 

While still in the beginning stages, the SHA is working with the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires to hire two security guards to provide 24/7 security at the facility, with the hopes that the first would be able to start shortly after approval with the second to follow soon after. 

This would be a temporary solution in the form of observe and report services to be replaced with enhanced protection in the future, according to Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley.

"We're hopeful that we will have a comprehensive security service in the hospital here that would go above and beyond what the Commissioners are able to provide in the immediate term, and that would be a more permanent option for our local hospital," he said. 

An RFP that was recently tendered by the SHA in the northern part of the province for enhanced protective services is the resource that could be leveraged for Swift Current.

There's no timeline yet for either strategy, but both are in progress, and the SHA and Commissionaires are moving forward quickly. Having these security guards present, monitoring and watching for situations provides visibility and the ability to request help if there is something that needs to be deescalated.

However, the main goal is still to bring in officers that are able to respond to violent situations themselves. 

"This unfortunately happens across the board in healthcare facilities right across Canada," said Hindley. "Some of this is driven by the increasing number of mental health and addictions patients that are coming in, who have some very, very serious things that they are dealing with and that presents itself in ways that impact the safety of the of the healthcare providers that are simply trying to do their job."