Dieu endorses Dupont findings: Hospital implements some recommendations

By Sonja Puzic, The Windsor Star

Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital announced Tuesday it has implemented a number of jury recommendations made after a coroner’s inquest into the deaths of nurse Lori Dupont and her killer, Dr. Marc Daniel, and for the first time publicly endorsed the recommendations that fall within the hospital’s authority.

A progress report on Hotel-Dieu’s implementation of the recommendations — there were 26 directed to various institutions — was distributed at a meeting of the hospital board, attended by Lori Dupont’s parents, Barbara and John Dupont, as well as members of the Dupont Inquest Action Group.

The report, which hospital CEO Neil McEvoy called “a work in progress,” says that the three recommendations pertaining solely to Hotel-Dieu have been implemented and that several other recommendations addressed to Ontario’s public hospitals are in place as well.

The remaining recommendations directed to all hospitals will be implemented according to Hotel-Dieu’s “work plan,” said board chairman Egidio Sovran.

Among the implemented recommendations are a workplace violence prevention program, domestic violence awareness training and a review of the hospital’s security policies. The hospital is “refining” its procedures to extend the review of physicians’ previous records, including disciplinary actions and behavioural concerns. According to the progress report, the hospital also found that its monitoring and handling of controlled substances warrants “more rigorous procedures.”

The jury’s recommendations were made in December, following a lengthy coroner’s inquest into the 2005 deaths of Dupont and Daniel.

Dupont was stabbed to death at work by Daniel, an ex-boyfriend, who subsequently took his own life.

The hospital board had initially refused to publicly endorse the jury’s recommendations in January, sparking outrage from the Dupont family and those who’ve lobbied for safer workplaces following Dupont’s murder. At the time, McEvoy said the board wanted to work on the recommendations first before calling on others to do the same.

“By this point, we have substantial progress to report,” McEvoy told reporters Tuesday evening. “We have always said that our actions will speak louder than words.”

McEvoy said it “took a lot of courage” to not endorse the recommendations right away and “stay the course.”

“But you can tell tonight … (board members) were unequivocal in doing that.”

In a statement to the board, Sovran said the delivery of Tuesday’s report is “only a beginning step in what the hospital considers a continuous journey.”

Pat Noonan of the Inquest Action Group, a coalition dedicated to ensuring the recommendations from the Dupont/Daniel coroner’s inquest are implemented, called the report “a start,” but said a lot more work needs to be done to prevent similar workplace tragedies.

“We are going to pursue these recommendations to the fullest,” she said. “We want dialogue. We want change. A woman was murdered. This is a very big issue.”

Another group member, Pat Cunningham, said she wanted to see more detail in Hotel-Dieu’s report, including what kind of input from hospital staff went into the implementation of the recommendations.

“I just heard some words,” she said of Sovran’s statement. “I think they’ve got a long way to go.”

Barbara Dupont did not speak to the media following the meeting.

“It will take some time for her to process this,” Noonan said.

Past hospital board chairman Bill Marra said the progress report is “an invitation for feedback. And we need to take that feedback seriously.”