DRUG USERS A THREAT TO HEALTH WORKERS

Patients who are high on street drugs and out of control are posing
risks to hospital emergency staff, health officials said on Monday.

Dr. Edmund Barker, president of medical staff for the David Thompson
Health Region, said the strong economy means people have more cash to
spend on illicit drugs.

Some end up in emergency departments in agitated, out-of-control
frenzies.

In an effort to treat them, hospital staff are placed in a difficult
position.

Legally, staff are limited from restraining patients against their
will, unless they are committed under a mental health order.

"There are concerns about the patients being a hazard to themselves
and other people, including staff," said Dr. Dave Dawson,
vice-president of medicine for the health region.

The problem came to light in recent weeks because a young man at the
Stettler hospital needed four people to restrain him.

The health region has formed a group of doctors to look at the
problem, review procedures in other health regions and look at
possible solutions.

"The use of drugs such as crystal meth and cocaine has been an ongoing
problem," said Dawson during a health board meeting on Wednesday.

"It's a complex, difficult problem and it appears to be a growing
problem."

Police sometimes bring extremely agitated drug users to the hospital,
said Dawson.

Police don't want to place the drug users in their cells, until they
have been assessed and deemed to be safe. But health staff lack an
"optimal" way to handle the situation, he said.

The new group includes a doctor from the Red Deer Regional Hospital
Centre emergency department, a doctor from a rural emergency
department, the regional medical director of psychiatry and mental
health services, as well as Dawson.

He didn't have a timeline on when the group may propose a solution.
The group may meet on an ongoing basis.

Barker said he couldn't estimate how often emergency departments deal
with drug users.

He sees the problem about once or twice a year in Innisfail where he
works.