Metal detectors are now being installed at two Saskatchewan hospitals regularly used by Lloydminster patients.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority confirmed screening systems are operating at the main entrances of Battlefords Union Hospital and Prince Albert Victoria Hospital. The Regina Urgent Care Centre also has detectors in place.
For many Lloydminster families, that matters.
Battlefords Union Hospital serves as a designated referral site for several services not available locally, including some mental health care and advanced diagnostics. Patients transported from Lloydminster to North Battleford will now pass through screening at the main entrance.
Beginning Feb. 23, anyone entering through those doors will be screened.
What patients need to know
Protective Services officers will ask visitors to declare any restricted items before entering.
Restricted items include luggage, duffle bags and coolers, along with weapons such as knives, stun guns, ammunition, explosives, bear spray, mace and flammables. Illegal items cannot be stored onsite.
Visitors must remove metal objects from their pockets, including keys, belts and cell phones, and place them in a bin before walking through the detector. Bags will also be screened. A hand wand may be used to confirm there are no prohibited items.
Patients with pacemakers or implanted medical devices will not walk through the detector. They will instead be screened using a handheld wand.
At both North Battleford and Prince Albert, two screening lanes will operate. One lane is intended to move patients needing urgent or emergent care more quickly. Anyone requiring immediate medical attention is asked to tell officers right away.
SHA staff, contractors and law enforcement personnel are exempt with valid identification.
No word yet on Lloydminster
There has been no official word from the Saskatchewan Health Authority on whether metal detectors will be installed at Lloydminster Hospital.
The Border Pulse reached out to SHA and they responded with the following.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) prioritizes the safety of patients, visitors and staff at all our facilities across the province.
To enhance hospital safety and security, metal detectors are being deployed to urban emergency departments in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford.
“The Ministry of Health has announced an external review into hospital safety and security. We view this as an opportunity to assess and inform further actions to enhance hospital safety and security across the province, including the potential for deployment of metal detectors to additional facilities,” stated government officials.
Across Saskatchewan, eight facilities will soon have metal detectors in place, including emergency entrances in Saskatoon and Regina. Lloydminster is not currently on that list.
The SHA says violent incidents and weapons entering emergency departments have increased across the province, prompting the broader rollout.
For residents travelling east for care expect to plan a few extra minutes at the door.
Read more: Retired hospital worker loses everything in fire; fundraiser launched
