Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

WARNING: This article deals with sensitive content. Discretion is advised.

A West Kootenay, B.C., family is calling for changes in the health-care system after their daughter died by suicide last month.

Roseanne Wallace was 33 years old and worked as a psychiatric nurse at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail.

“Roseanne was always fun to be around,” her father Lawrence told Global News.

“She loved dogs tremendously. She started in hockey early in her life and continued on up through the ranks of female hockey.”

Lawrence said his daughter continued to mentor young hockey players all her life.

However, he said Roseanne always wanted to help people and so she decided on a career in nursing, eventually working in the Daly Pavilion, which is a unit for people with acute to severe mental illness.

“I think at first she really enjoyed it because she loves working with people, no matter what’s going on in their life,” Lawrence said.

“But as things progressed and I would say the social environment of what’s happening with addiction, etc., she definitely found things were changing and even in the last five or six years, mental health has become more and more in the forefront and it was making her job tougher.”

Roseanne had an altercation with a patient in 2021, during which Lawrence said she hurt her shoulder, requiring surgery. He said things never got better for his daughter after that.

“It got to be the point where it’s a scary environment to work in, you know, and I think that’s something that people need to understand is when you’re dealing with mentally challenged people … you don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Lawrence said.

“So, yeah, I think that was a big stress on her, particularly the way things were in the Daly Pavilion.”

Roseanne eventually returned to work, but Lawrence said she was left mentally scarred.

In February, Roseanne suffered a hip injury while handling an aggressive patient.

Lawrence said she was the only nurse on the floor at the time.

“She was trying to control a patient who was trying to get into the nurse’s station, and of course, it got physical,” he said.

“She did manage, I think, to control that patient, but the damage was already done.”

Lawrence said his daughter’s death should never have happened.

“I was the one that found her,” he said.

“It’s been very hard on me. I always hoped that she would be able to get through these things, but she kept it to herself so very well, none of us, none of our family, she didn’t share how her mental state was.

“Maybe sad, but we had no idea that this was gonna happen and it was totally preventable. Should never have happened.”

Roseanne’s sister, Rhiannon Wallace, told Global News that she cannot imagine what it must have been like for her sister working alone in the psychiatric ward.

“She saw a surgeon last week in Vancouver but the mental impact … really affected her quality of life because she’s so into coaching and playing hockey and men’s beer league in Trail and she was a huge part of that team and she just loved to play,” Rhiannon said.

“Even just taking her dogs for a walk, this last incident affected all of that, like she couldn’t do those things that she loved.”

Rhiannon echoed her father’s statements, saying her sister’s death could have been prevented.

“The stigma around mental health needs to change and my sister was really drawn to that area of nursing and she wanted to help people and I think there needs to be greater awareness of these different illnesses that individuals face and more acceptance of that area,” she said.

Minister of Health Josie Osbourne said she was devastated to hear about Roseanne’s death.

“It’s just devastating to hear about these things,” she said. “Of course, this points to the ongoing need to do everything that we can to create safe workplaces for people, including in health-care facilities and for physicians and nurses and all health-care workers.”

Interior Health conducted a review after the first time Roseanne was attacked, but her family said nothing changed.

However, Osbourne said the hospital installed a new panic button on the floor and reviewed protocols and procedures.

She also said it is her understanding that there should be two staff members on the floor at all times.

“It is always my expectation that the health authorities are strictly adhering to the policies that they have in place and that they do everything they can to ensure safe workplaces,” Osbourned added.

“We will continue to support them and work with them, work with the nurses’ union and other partners in making the safest workplaces possible.”

Lawrence said he would like the people in charge to spend a day shadowing a health-care worker.

“I’d like one of those higher-ups to come and spend a shift in a facility like that,” he said.

“I’m sure they wouldn’t believe it and I know they wouldn’t feel safe.”

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, help is available 24-7 through the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC at call 1-800-784-2433.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

Mental health support and information on resources is available around the clock in B.C. at 310-6789 (no area code needed). 

For online, real-time support, YouthinBC.com also operates a daily chat between 12 p.m. and 1 a.m. PST, and telephone support 24/7 at 604-872-3311.