Alberta Health Services has completed its investigation into how a list of Red Deer Regional Hospital psychiatric patients and their diagnoses ended up in a public library book.
But AHS hasn’t said much else about the incident.
About five weeks ago a Red Deer library user discovered a fairly recent patient care list of 14 patients on Unit 34, one of two adult psychiatric units at the hospital. Diagnoses ranged from bipolar to depression to suicidal. Red Deer doctors were listed beside patient names. The document did not have a date.
Handwritten notes, as if someone used it as a piece of scrap paper, were scrawled on the bottom and top of the sheet of paper.
Shelley Rattray, AHS communications director, said the staff member who left the patient care list in the book was identified and patients were notified immediately.
She wasn’t aware of any disciplinary action.
“Once we completed our internal investigation we worked with our staff to acknowledge that this mistake had occurred so we can build an environment of openness and education,” Rattray said.
“We have no indication that any personal information was used inappropriately.”
Dean Frey, Red Deer Public Library director, said the library tries to track down people if staff find something in library material, like personal letters.
“We always respect the privacy of people,” Frey said.
“Especially with all the things happening in Britain right now, everyone is very much aware that you have to protect your privacy and you have to be vigilant.”
As a public organization, the library follows the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.
He said if it’s a piece of paper that doesn’t have any real worth and the person can’t be tracked down the paper gets shredded right away.
The library loans out about 750,000 books and other material per year so not every item can be checked.
But sometimes some really odd bookmarks are found.
Frey said an old-time library staff member once told him he found a piece of uncooked bacon in a book.
“Can you imagine? Every once in a while people use odd things.”
“Quite often they use money. A $5 bill. A $10 bill. Once a $100 dollar bill.”
Frey said less money has probably been found in recent years since loonies and toonies were introduced. When cash is found, staff contact the last person who took out the book to ask them if they left something inside. Unclaimed money is added to the library’s fund to buy children’s books.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com