{"id":635696,"date":"2026-04-29T05:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T05:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/635696\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T05:15:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T05:15:16","slug":"new-one-bag-one-visitor-policy-at-royal-alexandra-hospital-e-r-after-stabbing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/635696\/","title":{"rendered":"New \u2018one bag, one visitor\u2019 policy at Royal Alexandra Hospital E.R. after stabbing"},"content":{"rendered":"

A central Edmonton hospital has introduced new rules in the emergency department where a stabbing took place<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n

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Alberta Health Services<\/a> says all patients and visitors to the Royal Alexandra Hospital<\/a> will now be limited to one bag per person before they are allowed to enter the ER.<\/p>\n

Those who work in the major trauma centre\u2019s emergency room, which staff say is the busiest ER in Edmonton and sees about 200 patients a day, are optimistic about the changes \u2014 as long as they are implemented with some common sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as it\u2019s done compassionately, I\u2019ll be the first in favour,\u201d said Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, an emergency physician at the Royal Alex and professor at the University of Alberta.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work there just like everyone else does and we want to be safe working, but we also want our patients and visitors to be safe while they come to the emergency department.\u201d<\/p>\n

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AHS said security will have methods in place to securely store extra bags if needed \u2014 something Francescutti said is going to be key for a large sector of the population that specific emergency room sees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe proudly serve the inner city, and these men and women \u2014 trust me \u2014 it\u2019s hard for them to go into the emergency room unless they really need it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they\u2019re bringing their three bags and everything they own is in those three bags, it\u2019s almost impossible to separate them from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t, because of one unfortunate incident, punish everyone that comes to the emergency department.\u201d<\/p>\n

AHS said the hospital\u2019s security team will search all bags before entering the ER to ensure no weapons or prohibited items are brought in, which is something the United Nurses of Alberta has\u00a0asked for<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta nurses wants weapons screening, more officers at hospitals due to violence\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Francescutti said that\u2019s where compassion and discretion will play a factor.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you\u2019re going to limit people to one bag, what are you going to do with folks that are houseless and everything they own is in two bags or three bags? It\u2019s our responsibility to make sure that we safely secure their limited possessions till they\u2019ve finished their medical visit and then give it back to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the patients showing up at the Royal Alex emergency room are from Edmonton\u2019s inner city, Francescutti said. Some are living in poverty or homelessness, and don\u2019t have their own family doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are their primary care providers,\u201d he said. \u201cSo what we need to do is say, \u2018How can we better meet the needs of our patients?\u2019 It\u2019s not up to them to meet our needs. It\u2019s up to us to meet their needs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSo security enhanced, yes \u2014 but there has to be compassion and there has be a little bit of latitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoyal Alex Hospital seeks donations for Bridge Healing Initiative\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Reducing the number of bags laying around will help by keeping floors clear of tripping hazards, AHS said, as well as ensuring chair and table space is available for patients and whoever accompanies them.<\/p>\n

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Exceptions will be made for those who require additional bags for medical devices or supplies, or child care items, which Francescutti said is reasonable when families show up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about a mom who\u2019s got three kids with her? She\u2019s probably going to need more than one bag of supplies,\u201d he said. \u201cThe last thing we want to do is turn it a fortress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s well-intended and I suspect that our security personnel are going to use their discretion to make sure that we\u2019re not you know singling out someone and punishing them just for showing up to the emergency room.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emergency medicine team at the Royal Alex, in Francescutti\u2019s words, runs a pretty tight ship and doesn\u2019t put up with abuse \u2014 which he noted has been on the rise lately.<\/p>\n

The UNA says nurses face \u201cthreats of violence almost daily\u201d and has advocated since 2023 for a weapons detection system at the Royal Alex and other Alberta hospitals with busy ERs.<\/p>\n

A UNA survey of members last year found four in 10 nurses experienced physical violence in the previous 12 months, which included being hit or punched.<\/p>\n

The province said a request for proposals for a weapons screening program for the Royal Alex has closed, and the government is \u201cworking to accelerate implementation timelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The policy changes come after a stabbing occurred in the packed Royal Alex emergency room waiting area on Friday, April 3. A fight broke out between two men, leading to a 42-year-old man suffering serious, life-threatening injuries.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoyal Alex emergency room stabbing sparks conversation over Edmonton hospital safety\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Police said the other man was found with three \u201cedged weapons\u201d and has since been charged. Francescutti said that was an exceptional circumstance.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy and large, it is a safe environmental. That incident was unfortunate. The waiting room was crowded at the time. You know, stuff happens.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI mean, the emergency department\u2019s not where you go to expect to be stabbed, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

After the stabbing, the UNA also called on the province to acknowledge violence in emergency departments is linked to overcrowding and lack of capacity.<\/p>\n

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In addition to the new bag policy, AHS says going forward, all patients seeking care in the ER may only be accompanied by one visitor or support person.<\/p>\n

AHS said that limit will help reduce noise and provide more space for those who need to be there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one visitor, per patient, I can tell you where it\u2019s not going to work \u2014 if a young child comes in,\u201d Francescutti said. \u201cMost of the time, both parents will show up in emergency. So what are you going to do? You\u2019re going to pick one parent over the other. So it\u2019s not going to work there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ER doctor said there may also be situations where a patient requires emotional support, a translator or advocate.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you\u2019re going to have to bend the rules and you know more than one person should be able to accompany that (patient).\u201d<\/p>\n

Exceptions may be made in some circumstances, AHS said.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDoctors say 2 Edmonton hospitals at 150% capacity, very long ER waits\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

While the changes are a good start, Francescutti said it\u2019s still just a band-aid solution to the gaping wound that is the state of emergency care in the province.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe real question is, why are there so many patients? And what can we do to prevent so many patients from showing up and, at times, using the emergency department as a shelter?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can we do to better meet their needs outside of the emergency department?\u201d<\/p>\n

The ER at the Royal Alex is consistently running over capacity with lengthy wait times to see a doctor, Francescutti said, and will continue to do so until they get a new or expanded space that can handle greater volumes.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta doctors and government still at odds over triage liaison physicians\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The province is listening to their concerns though, he noted.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones spent an evening ER<\/a> to see first-hand how it runs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve had four ministers visit the emergency room. Deputy ministers are visiting on a regular basis. The CEO of the acute care sector spent time there. So I think they\u2019re acutely aware that the infrastructure just isn\u2019t meeting the needs of our patient,\u201d Francescutti said.<\/p>\n

Those are complex issues that aren\u2019t new in Alberta and won\u2019t be solved easily \u2014 so in the meantime, Francescutti approves of the enhanced security measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s going be less tolerance for abuse amongst patients or to staff. And, you know, we\u2019re going to continue to do the best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

General visiting hours for most AHS locations aside from the emergency department will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Exceptions may include end-of-life care, pediatric patients, patients with disabilities and cultural\/spiritual supports.<\/p>\n

AHS said people with questions about the one bag or one visitor policy can reach out to its patient relations team online or at 1-855-550-2555.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A central Edmonton hospital has introduced new rules in the emergency department where a stabbing took place earlier…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635697,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[17225,49,48,2169,237564,84,44,237565,152344],"class_list":["post-635696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-alberta-health-services","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-crime","tag-dr-louis-francescutti","tag-health","tag-news","tag-royal-alex","tag-royal-alexandra-hospital"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}