This nurse says she's still suffering from a concussion a year after attack at hospital entrance

A Manitoba nurse who took a man to court following an alleged assault about a year ago at the hospital where she works says she has no regrets about pursuing legal recourse, even though the charges were stayed last week.

"My narrative is it does not matter what the outcome of this was, because this incident actually happened to me; I got severely hurt.... So it doesn't change anything," said Jennifer Noone, who is on leave while she recovers from a concussion and other injuries.

"And I'm going to advocate for safety in hospitals and everywhere else I can for health-care workers."

Just two days after the decision, a patient at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre (HSC) was charged after a security guard was stabbed. Noone and other advocates say there's a pattern of escalating violence against nurses and other health-care workers that must be addressed.

CBC News is not naming the hospital where Noone works because she said she risks losing her job if she speaks publicly.

She told White Coat, Black Art host Dr. Brian Goldman that she was approaching the door at an employee-only entrance to the hospital on March 27, 2023, when the alleged assault occurred.

"I felt a pull right behind me, like something had pulled my backpack. I did get smashed into the door frame, the wall. Everything just happened so fast," Noone said. "And when I was pulled back, I noticed there was just a very, very tall man. I'm not too sure what his intent was, but, thankfully, I was able to fight him off a bit."

A moment later, it was over and Noone was safe inside a locked door.

She said she immediately called security and a short time later was able to identify the accused to police while both were being seen in the hospital's emergency department.

Noone said she was left with abrasions, a shoulder strain and a concussion.

Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, which represents 12,000 nurses, said violence in the health-care system is the highest she's ever seen.

"COVID really started it with people being really frustrated, and wait times don't help because if you're sitting with a family member in a busy emergency department for 15 hours, you tend to get a little frustrated and short," she said.

"And because nurses are right front and centre, they're very often the very people who get the brunt of that."

It's difficult to quantify the number of assaults, Jackson said, because of changes in the way they're being reported.