Hello my name is CarleyJane Popkie,

When my spouse was 17 years old, we were brought to Health Sciences North Emergency Department on June 28th, 2018 for him to receive medical care. What happened next, is truly inconceivable without seeing this video footage or living the reality of it. In watching this video, any person of sound mind can witness my spouse as the patient being physically assaulted by the charge nurse. What isn't able to be heard as there was no sound upon retrieval of this video is the verbally assaultive language that was used to call my spouse a "junkie" and "to get the fuck out of (the charge nurse's ER)". Needless to say, this was a nightmare that we have been plagued with for the last 7 years that has caused irreparable damage to the both of us. We have both been diagnosed with severe complex post traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and my spouse has been enduring unimaginable night terrors for the last 7 years on a regular basis due to this assault and refusal of care. To make matters worse, after my spouse was assaulted by this charge nurse and refused care by the triage nurse in the Emergency Department my spouse was medically cleared while in a state of psychosis and was then placed in a holding cell for an assault charge when he was the victim of assault himself. At this time, the lawyer involved told me that "no one will believe you that a nurse assaulted a patient without that video footage" and the lawyer at the time encouraged us to plead guilty to this assault charge. According to Health Sciences North, “Health Sciences North (HSN) has a comprehensive approach to addressing violence, including a "no-touch" policy for staff, meaning physical violence is not tolerated, and implementing measures like safety alert buttons and training programs to prevent and manage violent incidents. They also have a Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (VIPP) and work with community partners to support survivors of violence." What I witnessed on this day is nowhere near the protocol of our hospital or the certified training that individuals who work with vulnerable populations (such as nurses) are required to obtain and update on a yearly basis. This video footage was withheld for 5 years and 1 month after this assault transpired against my spouse. I had requested for this video footage to be subpoenaed in court over the course of dealing with this charge. This video was said to have been destroyed by Health Sciences North per their video retention policy conveniently at the 2 year limitation period for civil and medical malpractice lawsuits. I was reached out to by the Privacy Department of Health Sciences North on August 25th, 2023 regarding this video footage being found and retrieved from a back archive somewhere where it was not supposed to be. I was asked if I would like to obtain said footage still and that there would be costs associated with blurring myself out and others (for their privacy per PHIPPA policies). This video alone cost $475 to obtain. This does not even begin to factor in the costs it will require to obtain an appeal/criminal defense lawyer to overturn the wrongful conviction along with the damages mentally, emotionally, and physically that still remain to this day. I have reached out to 50+ lawyers as well as Pro Bono Hotline and all additional resources that I have been referred to. I also tried going the contingency fee route to no avail. I have reached no advocacy for justice from this wrongful conviction and the years of damage that has ensued. Needless to say, this incident is stigmatization of mental health to the highest degree which is already imminent within our society. The one place where stigmatization should not be transpiring is at our hospital. The one place where individuals should feel safe is a place that we now avoid at all costs to the point of putting our lives at risk unless we are brought involuntarily for dire circumstances. Please help us with the costs associated to obtain justice and put this horrific incident behind us. We would like to start a family and be able to thrive in our future and this has been the biggest factor holding us back. The trauma. It never leaves. The trauma follows us. Until we are able to overturn the wrongful conviction and the damages that have taken over the last 7 years of our lives, it is so difficult to say that we can turn a new leaf. In order for us to leave this in the past, it is essential that we talk about the situation. Tell our story. Staying silent is slowly killing us inside. Staying silent all these years feels like I am sitting back and saying this stigma and treatment from individuals who are supposed to be healthcare professionals is okay and this is DEFINITELY not okay and never will be okay. Our Emergency Department is the first point of contact for vulnerable and sick individuals. This occurrence should not even remotely be considered to be okay. There must be other individuals in our community that have been treated in an inappropriate manner such as this from nurses in our Emergency Department and it is important that we bring light to these horrendous traumatic incidents. Sharing our story brings awareness to the appalling treatment endured coinciding with mental illness and the stigmatization that is alive and well especially in hospital settings.

Any help, support, and kind thoughts are immensely appreciated.

Please help us to obtain justice, move forward, and most importantly start the process of healing.

Thank you in advance for taking your time to read this and to help us share our story. Please feel free to share similar experiences as well that should never transpire like this. Let's come together to work to end the stigma surrounding mental health within the one place in our community that should be considered a safe place to obtain medical help of any kind. We are all human and deserve to be treated with human decency no matter the circumstances.

Warmest regards,

CarleyJane