ONA Appalled at Hotel-Dieu Decision
1 Feb 08 -- The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) is appalled by the decision of Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital to not endorse the coroner’s jury recommendations stemming from the inquest into the murder of Lori Dupont, RN in the facility.“ONA has long contended that the health and safety of nurses and other staff is low on the list of priorities for this hospital,” said President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, “but this decision will leave our members shaken. The coroner’s jury has developed a thoughtful and very doable list of recommendations to ensure that the Lori Dupont tragedy is not repeated. By voting to not endorse the recommendations, the hospital is thumbing its nose at a jury that spent 11 weeks carefully examining the evidence, and also at registered nurses, and in essence saying that Lori’s death meant nothing.”
Lori Dupont, RN, was brutally stabbed to death by a physician in the recovery room of Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in November, 2005. ONA pushed hard for the coroner to conduct an inquest. Testimony revealed an organization that failed to understand its obligation to keep its staff safe from harassment and harm, and to ensure a safe workplace. It also revealed that the physician had a long history of harassing registered nurses and other staff, and of inappropriate outbursts. In one incident, he fractured the finger of an operating room nurse in a fit of anger.
“The message that this decision sends to registered nurses is that their safety doesn’t matter,” added Haslam-Stroud. “ONA believes that while the hospital is trying to bury the hard work of the jury, we’ll continue to work with our members and members of the Windsor community – including Lori’s family – to ensure that the jury’s recommendations are implemented across the province, not just at Hotel-Dieu.”