Keeping calm with anti-vaccination protesters
The COVID-19 vaccination programme has led to some strong feelings being expressed by people opposed to the vaccination. People may come to the clinic to protest and/or try to convince people to refuse the vaccine.
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Safety first. Assess the situation and always put your safety first. You are unlikely to convince the person or change their view in this moment, so your priority is the safety of you and the people around you. If you feel unsafe, secure the building and/or call for assistance from others/security/police. Alert your shift leader to the situation.
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Keep calm. This is easier said than done. Slow your breathing, speak slowly and keep your voice volume in its normal range if you can. The goal is to calm the situation and to have the person leave the premises. If need be, ask your shift leader to intervene.
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Set limits. If the person is being verbally aggressive or argumentative, don’t engage with what they are staying – it will potentially inflame the situation. If they are on private property, ask them politely to leave. If need be, utilise security for back up. If they are intimidating or abusing people in a public space (e.g. the street outside) or your don’t have security to support you, call the police for assistance.
After the event People who are protesting, can express strong negative opinions and emotions about the work we are doing. Check in with colleagues and people attending the clinic to make sure all are OK. You may experience a rush of adrenalin and feel a little shaky after the event, especially if the person was verbally aggressive or abusive. If so, talk to your shift leader and arrange to take a break to restore and recover. As soon as you can, take notes of the time and place, as well as details of the incident in as much detail as possible. Report the incident to your shift coordinator or manager, so that they can track incidents over time and can alert the DHB, in case action needs to be taken to prevent future events.