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Tumbler Ridge health-care staff praised for 'outstanding' response · THE DAILY BRIEF

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let's take you inside some of the medical response to
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: all of this. Chiropanessa is the president and CEO of
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  Speaker 1: Northern Health, which services Tumblr Ridge at Chiro. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: very much for your time.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: This morning, and no problem, David.
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  Speaker 1: I wonder if you can take us into that moment
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  Speaker 1: as the shooting unfolds. How many people were working inside
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  Speaker 1: the er at the time of that incident.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, there'd normally be a nurse and m physician
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  Speaker 2: covering the er there are there wasn't another physician that
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  Speaker 2: would be in the health center covering primary care area
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  Speaker 2: as well some other nurses diagnostic imaging technologists who would
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  Speaker 2: be supporting the primary care is also the er side.
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  Speaker 1: And how did that small number of staff manage and
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  Speaker 1: respond to this as it became clear what had happened?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they they just did a tremendous job
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  Speaker 2: under a really extraordinary and difficult situation. You know, I
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  Speaker 2: just can't thank them enough. I'm going to be meeting
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  Speaker 2: with them again this morning to connect with them and
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  Speaker 2: express that thanks. Thanks personally. It was and they did
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  Speaker 2: a tremendous job, in particular stabilizing two very seriously injured
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  Speaker 2: individuals who have subsequently, you know, were stabilized for transport
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  Speaker 2: to higher level of care, and you know, I just
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  Speaker 2: I just have to say my in a small town,
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  Speaker 2: in a small community, being a healthcare professional, you often
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  Speaker 2: do know and love the people that you're caring for.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, a tremendously difficult situation. You know, for us
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  Speaker 2: right now are are as an organization, me personally are
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  Speaker 2: just you know, our hearts are with the whole community,
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  Speaker 2: with the family and friends, but then in particular, you
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  Speaker 2: know now with the healthcare staff and supporting them through
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  Speaker 2: this as they're also trying to continue their their work
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  Speaker 2: and their role in the community.
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  Speaker 1: Was that the case on Tuesday? Did the staff members
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  Speaker 1: know some of those they were treating.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm not going to get into that that level
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  Speaker 2: of detail into specifics, but generally, you know that just
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  Speaker 2: it's it's impossible for that to not be the case
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  Speaker 2: when you're when when you're looking at a community that
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  Speaker 2: is the size of tumble Ridge. But they just did
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  Speaker 2: an outstanding, outstanding job and you know how quickly everything unfolded.
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  Speaker 2: We're tremendously grateful to BC Emergency Health Services, to the RCMP,
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  Speaker 2: to the fire department, just how quickly, ground resources, fixed
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  Speaker 2: wing rotary wing assets, even getting support very quickly from
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  Speaker 2: Alberta to potentially be available, you know, that support, so
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  Speaker 2: that the team was able to focus on stabilized, working
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  Speaker 2: with the paramedics to stabilize those that were most critically
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  Speaker 2: ill and moved them to a higher level of care
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  Speaker 2: and for that to happen as expeditiously as possible. I
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  Speaker 2: mean that, given the horror of it all, I mean
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  Speaker 2: that that really was the best that could be done
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  Speaker 2: and saw the best of people and saw the best
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  Speaker 2: of how everyone was able to mobilize really quickly on
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  Speaker 2: that first response.
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  Speaker 1: Did that response in your mind save lives on Tuesday afternoon?
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  Speaker 2: Well, let's absolutely and you know, and then you know,
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  Speaker 2: we've got two critically injured individuals now that and you know,
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  Speaker 2: will we are our thoughts and prayers are that everyone
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  Speaker 2: that was injured and those most seriously ill now are
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  Speaker 2: going to be able to recover and and like the
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  Speaker 2: whole community now, it's going to be a long, complex
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  Speaker 2: and very individual journey for everyone and a community and
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  Speaker 2: then a journey for the whole community about returning to
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  Speaker 2: some kind of new normal.
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  Speaker 1: Sure, I know you were at the vigil last night.
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  Speaker 1: There are a lot of resources. Northern Health is behind
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  Speaker 1: some of those resources being brought in to help families.
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  Speaker 1: Now what does that look like.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're focused on our end trying to mobilize counseling support,
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  Speaker 2: mental health clinician support to have that be available on
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  Speaker 2: a drop in basis when people need it at the
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  Speaker 2: health center. We're looking to have the hours right now
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  Speaker 2: as much as possible from essentially be from around seven
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  Speaker 2: eight in the morning through to about ten to eleven
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  Speaker 2: at night, and we're looking to keep that going for considerably.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we haven't set an end date to that
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  Speaker 2: at this point. We are also working closely with a
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  Speaker 2: number of partners, the school district, District, Ministry of Children
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  Speaker 2: and Family Development, and First Nations Health Authority, other health authorities,
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  Speaker 2: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education to support additional specific
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  Speaker 2: in person counseling for youth, for the school community, parents specifically,
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  Speaker 2: so really trying to have specific in person resources for
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  Speaker 2: this for the children and those that were connected to
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  Speaker 2: the school, but then also have in person resorts, resources
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  Speaker 2: supports for the community more broadly and looking to have
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  Speaker 2: like I said, have that be available when people need
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  Speaker 2: it for as many hours, get coverage for as many
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  Speaker 2: hours a day as we can, and then we'll keep
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  Speaker 2: assessing and connecting and working closely with the district and
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  Speaker 2: all the partners to see if we've got it what's
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  Speaker 2: needed in place, and if not, keep adjusting and work
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  Speaker 2: closely with the community around how long we need to
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  Speaker 2: have different types of services here in place to support
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  Speaker 2: everyone right now as they're coming together and supporting each
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  Speaker 2: other during this during this tragedy.
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  Speaker 1: Sure, thank you very much.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, appreciate it, David. We'll just yeah, the other thing,
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  Speaker 2: just I do. Other focus for us is the team,
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  Speaker 2: and we are bringing in extra staff to provide rest
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  Speaker 2: relief for Pree for the local team. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: as an organization, there's lots of people across the North
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  Speaker 2: that have connections to tumbler Ridge personally, and so you know,
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  Speaker 2: putting supports in place for staff who need it across
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  Speaker 2: the whole, across the whole organization and in tumble Ridge
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  Speaker 2: and more locally here in the subpiece. But yeah, we appreciate,
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  Speaker 2: appreciate you taking the time to connect and set our
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  Speaker 2: hearts and we're with tumblr Rich here and we'll keep
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  Speaker 2: doing our best to mobilize supports for the community.
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  Speaker 1: And we're thinking of you as well. Sure, oh, thank you,
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  Speaker 1: thank you.