Man charged after nurse attacked and seriously injured at B.C. hospital

A man has been charged with assaulting a nurse at a Metro Vancouver hospital in an attack that police say left her seriously injured last month.

Police in Port Moody say a charge of assault causing bodily harm has been approved against a 41-year-old man with no fixed address.

He is scheduled to appear in court in Port Coquitlam on Feb. 10.

Investigators say the man was arrested after officers responded to a call at Eagle Ridge Hospital on Nov. 20 about a discharged patient attacking a female nurse.

Police say they arrested the man immediately after the alleged attack.

"I believe the suspect is known to police and has a criminal record," said Const. Sam Zacharias in an interview with CBC News.

Zacharias said the nurse sustained "serious injuries" but did not elaborate on her condition or additional circumstances surrounding the assault.

Adriane Gear, the president of the B.C. Nurses' Union, said she was relieved to see charges being brought against the alleged attacker — though she called it an "anomaly" and said people often got away with assaulting health-care workers.

"We're looking for legislative changes, such as [in] the Criminal Code of Canada, that it would be considered an aggravating circumstance at the time of sentencing if somebody has assaulted a health-care worker, including nurses," she said.

Gear also called for B.C.'s health employers to provide more security officers in health-care facilities.