Hospital security rules under scrutiny

Concerns are being raised once again about problems with security at the Montreal General Hospital after a recent incident during which hospital guards were not notified a street-gang member who was shot had been admitted.

The security breach occurred when an orderly spotted a man with what appeared to be a gun tucked under his belt walking toward the room of the patient, who was the victim of an attempted murder.

The orderly contacted the head nurse who, in turn, alerted the security department. Some of the staff on the floor then hid, waiting for a response.

The guards were startled they had not been informed beforehand that a street-gang member had been admitted to the hospital with injuries.

The security department activated a Code White STAT, warning of a possible active shooter. Within minutes, a dozen Montreal police officers swarmed the scene in two waves and guarded the room of the patient.

The police later determined the shooting victim was being visited by fellow gang members, and none were carrying firearms. Still, the hospital evacuated all visitors from the floor and enforced a dayslong lockdown.

The Montreal Gazette has chosen not to publish the date of the incident or the floor where the patient was recovering following discussions with the Montreal police.

Security at the Montreal General has fallen under intense scrutiny by provincial workplace inspectors following the near-strangulation of a nurse by a patient in the psychiatric emergency room on Sept. 2. CNESST inspectors have given the hospital until Dec. 8 to improve the training of staff or face financial sanctions.

Const. Manuel Couture, a spokesperson for the Montreal police, confirmed the incident involving the gang member, and urged the Gazette not to publish certain details for security reasons.

“There was a street-gang member, who was the victim of an attempted murder, who was on some floor of the hospital, and security was not made aware of that,” Couture said. “It’s really important that they know.”

A source with direct knowledge of the incident said the hospital guards are furious.

“They should have been notified that there was a gunshot victim, a gang member,” said the source, who agreed to be interviewed on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

“Normally when this happens, they will post a guard outside the patient’s room. There was a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line.”

Although Montreal police said they found no one with a gun in the hospital, the orderly is absolutely convinced she saw a man with a firearm, the source added.

Officials at the McGill University Health Centre, which oversees the Montreal General, pledged on Thursday to improve security protocols following the incident.

“Informing security of admitted patients with gunshot wounds is not part of the protocol,” the MUHC said in a statement.

“It is, however, common practice at the MUHC. Unfortunately, on that day that information was not relayed to security. Following a debriefing of the event, a reminder will be made to clinical personnel. We are anticipating a revision of protocol to include that measure.”

In fact, there were a total of three gunshot victims at the Montreal General at the time of the incident. It’s not clear whether the other two patients were also members of street gangs.

As a Level 1 Trauma Centre, the Montreal General treats people with life-threatening injuries and often receives by ambulance victims of gangland shootings. But the source complained that security at the Montreal General is inadequate to deal with the frequency of gang-related violence.

The lockdown affected only one floor of the Montreal General, a large complex of interconnecting buildings. But the source said the people in charge of the hospital daycare on another floor are upset they were not told of the lockdown.

“They should have notified the daycare that since there’s a possible shooter, don’t take the kids out for a walk, because they have a playground right outside the daycare,” the source said.

In the statement, the MUHC emphasized, “it’s important to note that at no time, it was evaluated, that the threat was present beyond” the floor of the gunshot victim.