Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 20/00) - Increased funding topped the list of jury recommendations after this week's inquest into last January's suicide of a patient at Stanton Regional Hospital.

The jury deliberated for five hours Wednesday after two days of painful testimony from hospital staff. The coroner's inquest was held to recommend measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

"The GNWT must provide additional resources for physical modifications of the psychiatric ward at Stanton Regional Hospital," said jury foreman Debbie Ward when the six-person panel re-entered the conference room of the Explorer Hotel Wednesday.

On Dec. 26, 1999, Alf Ivarluk voluntarily admitted himself to the psychiatric ward of the hospital.

He was delusional, a symptom of schizophrenia from which he suffered. He heard voices that said, "kill yourself before it's too late."

Craig Jordan was the head psychiatric nurse on Jan 7, the night of the suicide. He was articulate in his testimony at the inquest but the emotional sting of what he dealt with was unmistakably woven in his words.

Ivarluk was checked every 15 minutes by Jordan and another nurse, Barb Hoddinott. At 12:40 a.m. he was not in his bed.

"I went quickly to inform the others (Hoddinott and a security guard). We unlocked the door and discovered he was hanging in the shower stall of the bathroom," Jordan explained.

"We attempted to undo what I thought was a bed sheet, but now that I think about it, it was the shower curtain.

"The rod came out of the wall and we lowered him to the floor ... we transported him to the bed and attempted to resuscitate him ... which was ultimately and very unfortunately unsuccessful."

Jordan also said Hoddinott rushed to the telephone to page a code blue, an emergency signal used as a call for help from other departments. He noted the sound over the intercom now haunts him.

"You just don't ever hear, 'code blue psychiatry'," he said.

All attending the inquest thanked Ivarluk's two sisters who came from Kugluktuk for the inquest.

They cried openly during certain testimony but were comforted by the process of the inquest.

"On behalf of our family we want to thank you for listening," said Doris Ivarluk. "And for finding the missing pieces of this puzzle, like why. So, thank you."

The jury's recommendations did not allude to any blame of Stanton medical staff or the hospital itself. In fact, the 14th and final recommendation was for the recognition of the heroic efforts of the two psychiatric nurses working that night.

Their main concern was that funding continue to flow from the department of health and social services to continue making extensive physical changes to the ward, notably video and cardiac monitoring equipment for patients at high risk of suicide.

The jury also tapped into the North's nursing shortage issue.

A recommendation was made to allow registered psychiatric nurses, who are not registered nurses, to work here.

Currently there is no governing body in the NWT that registers that profession yet they are able to work in many hospitals and psychiatric units in the south.