Armed with Empathy

How Cheryl Noonan and Barbara Bell and their fellow Local 503 members keep St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton safe and secure

By Alison Brown

Local 503 security professionals working at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton don Kevlar gloves, stab-proof vests, and other protective gear at the start of each shift, where they provide safety and security to the downtown Hamilton, Ontario, hospital.

Another thing they make sure they’re equipped with each shift? A healthy dose of empathy and understanding.

We sat down with these dynamic women to learn what it takes to be a security professional at a bustling hospital.

Tell me a bit about yourself.

Cheryl

I was actually born at St. Joe’s, where I now work. So was our director. He was born two days before me, so we were in the nursery together, back when they used to keep moms for a week after giving birth. We were little bambinos together.

Barbara

I was born in Cuba. My uncle was a coroner there. He was in the police department and had a K-9 dog. It was all very interesting to me. I always wanted to be in the safety field and helping the community.

My mom was a lab technician at the hospital, and because my father died when I was two and she didn’t have anyone to take care of me, she would bring me to her work, and I’d sleep at the hospital on a bench or sometimes a stretcher. I’d have to wake up if there was an emergency. So, you could say I was born into the field.

How did you get into your career as a security professional?

Cheryl

When I was in high school, I worked at BiWay and was a loss prevention officer. That’s how I got interested in the career. I also had a couple co-op placements at the Central Police Station and under the Young Offenders Act, which increased my interest.

I graduated from the law and security program at Mohawk College. I had dreams of being a police officer, but at the time they were laying off police officers and pressuring them into early retirement, so that deterred me.

I was working for awhile at a window manufacturing company in Burlington when my mom saw a job posting for security at St. Joe’s. I applied and came in and talked with our old security manager and was hired on the spot. Twenty-four years later, I’ve made it a career, and I love it!

Barbara

Because of my background, I always wanted to be either a nurse or a police officer. I always wanted to become someone who could help the community. But when I immigrated to Canada, I had to do my grade 12 again for the conversion to the Ontario high school diploma.

I was working as a waitress/bartender while attending Mohawk College for law and security. When I graduated, I worked at Mohawk Slots Casino. Then St. Joe’s had an opening for a regular part-time position, so I applied. I went through the testing and wrote an aptitude test. Then I got called back for an interview and got the job.

I’ve been working there now for 16 years. I just fell in love with St. Joe’s, the way we work together and help the community. It’s amazing what we get to do.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Barbara

The morning shift starts at 7, but we have to be there 15 minutes early so we can get ready, put on the vest, take a report. If we’re working in emergency, we’ll go check in with the nursing station and let them know who’s on shift and who’s the team leader of the day and do our regular patrols.

We’ll have to respond to calls throughout the hospital during our shifts—smoking bylaw violations, thefts. We also have to patrol each of the buildings of the hospital and all of the parking lots.

What is your approach to security?

Cheryl

Hospital security is not at all like being a bouncer in a nightclub. Empathy is the number one asset you have to have.

I always tell the person I’m assisting, “The last thing I want to do is put my hands on you. Let’s talk through this. I’m here to listen.” You just have to communicate, communicate, communicate, just talk, talk, talk, and then you can see their breathing change.

Sometimes, someone is having a hard time because someone has passed away, or they can’t find their car in the parking lot, and it’s a trigger that gives them huge anxiety and panic. The last thing I want to do is put my hands on someone. I think of how I would feel—I wouldn’t want someone’s hands on me either. I’d want to have someone listen to me and talk to me.

This has been my approach since day one, since I started. It helps that I work with a good team, and if my method of communication isn’t effective for someone, I can step aside and let a coworker help that person out.

Barbara

I think being a woman is an asset in this job, and being a mother is an advantage. Because you’re used to dealing with big emotions and deescalating.

Some of my coworkers say, “Barbara, you’re talking to this patient like a mother.” It’s happened so many times where I’ve been able to deescalate someone by using my soft, motherly voice. It doesn’t matter how tall or physically big that person was.

What is scary about your job?

Barbara

You always have to be aware of your surroundings. Even on my days off, or if I’m walking in the park alone at night, I’m alert and constantly aware of what’s going on around me. You have to be aware if someone’s behind you or going up or down the stairwells or in the parking lot at night. You have to be aware of everything at all times.

Cheryl

When someone, either male or female, is struggling with substance use, it can get pretty scary at times. It’s a really uncomfortable feeling that you have to shake because someone is suffering. They’re going through something. But it’s hard to predict what their thoughts are or what they’ll do next.

How do you cope with the scary or uncomfortable parts of your job?

Barbara

The main thing is that we have a great team, and we’re always there for each other. Everyone has each other’s back. We coordinate, we talk as a team, we plan. Our method is: assess, plan, and act.

After something happens, we debrief. If we need help, we talk to each other. In the moment, you have a lot of adrenaline going, and it can be very scary.

You go home sometimes and you’re still thinking about what happened and how you could have been seriously hurt. But at the end of the day, we support each other physically and emotionally. After my shift is done, I leave my stress at work. I switch gears because I have my kids at home. I ask my husband how his day at work was, but I don’t talk about what happens at my work.

Cheryl

Everyone copes differently. I talk to some of the psychiatric nurses, and they say it takes them a couple hours just to unwind at the end of their shift. You have to switch your brain off.

What is the best part of your job?

Cheryl

For me, it’s seeing the positive change in someone after being admitted to our psychiatry units. You’ll see someone who is very unwell or off their medications or having their first episode of schizophrenia, and then seeing the change in them after they’ve received care. It’s unbelievable.

Barbara

There was one time where I was interacting with a patient. I had on a bracelet that had a crucifix on it, so I told her to hold on to my bracelet, and she calmed down.

A couple weeks after she was in psychiatric care, her mother came up to me and said, “Thank you for helping my daughter in a really stressful situation. She remembers you and talks about you because of your cross bracelet.”

So, I gave the girl my bracelet, and she gave me a big hug. It really gave her comfort. That’s the power of empathy. That was a huge highlight for me, being able to give someone security and helping them mentally, physically, and spiritually.

I’ve also been able to assist families on the most stressful and important day of their lives. One time, it was late at night, and we got a code blue [see page 26 for hospital colour codes]. There was a pregnant woman having pain, but she was actually going into labour. So, I was with her, along with the porter, and she delivered the baby at the elevator. I had to help the baby out and untangle the umbilical cord. Another time, I helped deliver a baby in the parking lot of the hospital. It was an amazing experience.

Cheryl

Sometimes, it’s just the simple things. Security provides so many directions to people who come into the hospital and have no idea where to go for their CT scan or their MRI—things they’ve waited a year for, and they’ve come from all over the area.

We’ll walk them to their appointment, and they’re so grateful and say, “Oh thank you for showing me where to go. I never would have found it by myself.”

We also get people who are experiencing homelessness entering the hospital who don’t necessarily need medical assistance. We have an office that has second-hand items that we’ve all donated, so sometimes we’ll give them what they need. It feels good to be able to help them.

 Awhile ago, we had a woman in her late 60s asking for clothing. So, my partner and I found her outside on the sidewalk, and we asked her, “What do you need? What will make you happy right now?”

It was really cold, and her hands were getting frostbitten, so I was able to get her some nice ski gloves. Then we got her a taxi slip to take her to one of the local women’s shelters.

What’s it like being a woman in your field?

Barbara

It helps to have such a supportive team. There’s no separation. It’s seen as having an advantage, being a woman. They’re proud of who we are. We’re all like brothers and sisters.

What’s it like being unionized by CLAC?

Cheryl

I love the union. That’s why I joined and was a Local 503 Board member up until a few years ago. I loved going to all the meetings, and I love giving input. It’s a very supportive union.

Barbara

I’ve been very supported by the union. It’s a tough job. It’s nice to have a union that has your back. 

Taking a Bite Out of Crime

K-9s, or police service dogs, have been used by the RCMP since 1935. Although a number of breeds are used around the world for police and security work (e.g., German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, basset hounds, bloodhounds, Labrador retrievers), the RCMP only uses purebred German shepherds. These dogs have all the traits needed for police work and are well-suited to serve in a wide variety of climate conditions.

In 1999, the RCMP began its own breeding program. Previously, dogs were purchased via brokers, but only one in six of these dogs made it through the training program. Fifty percent of puppies born at the RCMP’s Police Dog Service Training Centre will go on to become working dogs.

Dogs begin formal training between 14 and 18 months old. They usually retire at seven or eight years of age when they may be adopted by their handler as a pet, or the handler may arrange for a suitable adoption.

Did You Know?

In some countries, including Canada, it is a criminal offence to intentionally injure or kill a police dog. The Justice for Animals in Service Act came into force in Canada on June 23, 2015. Known as Quanto’s Law, it was introduced in Parliament following the stabbing death in October 2013 of Quanto, a German shepherd police service dog with Edmonton Police Services.

Sources: canada.ca, nationalpolicedogfoundation.org, rcmp-grc.gc.ca