BURST
A knife-wielding, mask-wearing assailant stabbed a health care worker multiple times in an attack in the parkade adjacent to Vancouver General Hospital on Monday night.
The victim, reportedly stabbed in the face, is recovering from serious but non-life-threatening injuries at VGH, where she is a staff member. The Vancouver Police Major Crime Section is leading the investigation.
A call was made to 911 just after 7 p.m. Monday, where officers located an injured woman in her 40s, who was assaulted while walking to her car by an assailant in a hood and mask.
There have been a spate of attacks on nurses at VGH in recent years. In March, a nurse was strangled unconscious by an assailant . A few months before that, a student nurse was attacked by a knife-wielding man .
The B.C. Nurses’ Union, which has decried the rising levels of violence against its members , has been contacted for comment.
Vancouver Coastal Health said the safety of its staff and patients is their “top priority,” and violence of any kind isn’t tolerated.
A VCH spokesperson said Monday’s attack was an isolated incident, but regularly review its practices to ensure their safety protocols are effective.