An Airdrie resident who wishes to remain anonymous is raising concerns over safety and security at Airdrie's Urgent Care Centre.

In a letter sent to Discover Airdrie as well as other various media organizations, and provincial and municipal politicians, the resident details an incident that occurred at the end of January this year. According to the contents of the letter, the individual, who says they have lived in the city for 15 years, had gone to Airdrie Urgent Care on the morning of January 29.

"It was not busy in the waiting room; this was a pleasant surprise. I was relieved...Then a man walks in," the letter writer stated. "He walks up to the desk and begins to scream and swear at the nurse and clerks. He was pacing back and forth yelling."

The letter writer describes that the male was hurling expletive-laden insults and verbal abuse at the staff; and all the while, the AUC staff tried to diffuse the situation, but the yelling continued. 

"He was yelling that he was going to have everyone fired and go to the news. Another nurse came out and told him she was in charge that day. She tried to talk with him too. He wouldn’t stop. I was starting to think how do I get out of here and where are the security guards? This continued for about 10 more minutes. The nurse told him he had to leave and that if he did not, she was calling the RCMP. He did not care. He was in her face while she was sitting screaming and swearing at her. She told someone to call 9-1-1. He left."

Airdrie RCMP has since confirmed that police did respond to the incident. Cpl. James McConnell with Airdrie RCMP's Community Policing Unit wrote that while the subject of the complaint had left prior to police attendance, they were subsequently identified.

"RCMP did respond to a disturbance complaint at the Airdrie Urgent Care Unit at approximately 10:15 a.m. The subject of the complaint was identified and spoken with by the police. No charges were laid," Cpl. McConnell wrote.

When asked if there have been other such incidents, Cpl. McConnell added that there is what he described as, an expected amount of calls for service at urgent care.

"Calls for service are usually because for example, a patient was assaulted at another location or someone is having some mental health issues."

At the end of their letter, the resident raised concerns over how the incident highlights security issues in the facility.

"All I could think about was what would have happened if he had a gun. What if my kids were with me? I asked the nurse where the guards were."

Discover Airdrie reached out to Alberta Health Services for comment. AHS stated that the Airdrie Community Health Centre has a security presence at the site for 16 hours per day.

"This begins at 4 p.m. and extends overnight until 8 a.m. each morning, to align with times when staffing levels are lower throughout the facility. AHS Protective Services also supports the site with mobile Peace Officers 24-7 in addition to onsite security. However, since they serve a wide geographical area, staff are often reliant on RCMP in cases such as these," an AHS spokesperson wrote.

They added that AHS does not tolerate any form of harassment, bullying, abuse or threats.

"Anyone who works for Alberta Health Services (AHS), visits AHS facilities or is receiving care at an AHS facility has the right and expectation to a safe and welcoming environment. Behaviours that are not consistent with our values are taken extremely seriously."

Michelle Bates, Executive Director of the Airdrie Health Foundation said that the foundation is strongly advocating for 24-hour security to be implemented at the centre. Bates said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was observed that there was a marked tension that could be observed between some members of the public and those working in the healthcare industries.  

"The Airdrie Health Foundation did fund personal alarm[s] because there was an increase in negativity towards the staff; and I [for] know AHS - this is a concern to them at that site and they'll be working on that," Bates said. 

Bates also underlined in the strongest possible terms that the foundation does not condone any sort of aggressive or abusive behaviour towards staff. 

"I can only imagine how scary that would have been. And again, raising your voice and your concerns is definitely a way to make a change and I would support the letter that [resident] is sending. I would recommend that it be sent to AHS, to the MLA[s], as well as the health minister and the premier," Bates concluded. 

AHS said that it continues to review and evaluate Protective Services support throughout the Calgary Zone, while at the same time balancing available resources.

The 2023 provincial budget that was announced earlier this year allocated $3.1 billion in capital funding over three years to further build up Alberta’s valuable healthcare infrastructure.

Additionally, $18 million over three years will go towards planning the North Calgary/Airdrie Regional Health Centre, stand-alone Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, expansion of the Strathcona Community Hospital, and new or upgraded facilities in Bassano, Cardston and Whitecourt.

Of that, $18 million, $3 million has been allocated for the planning three years of the North Calgary/Airdrie Regional Health Centre. 

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