RNAO leaders hit the road to discuss health-care priorities with Ontario nurses

RNAO’s two top nursing leaders are checking the pulse with nurses and nursing students across the province to hear the nursing and health issues they believe should be front and centre for the Ontario government.

RNAO president Angela Cooper Brathwaite and chief executive officer Doris Grinspun will be visiting registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP) and nursing students in their respective communities as part of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) fourth-annual fall tour.

“Every year, RNAO’s fall tour provides an opportunity for nurses to share their experiences and where we can do better to meet the health needs of Ontarians,” says Brathwaite. “Nurses are the backbone of our health system and they will share with us invaluable insights on how government health and social policies are affecting their day-to-day practice and the well-being of the people they serve."

As the professional association for over 41,000 RNs, NPs, and nursing students, RNAO values and acts on its members’ voices as they know best how government decisions affect people’s health outcomes.

This year, nurses have been vocal about a number of public health issues including supervised injection services (SIS) and overdose prevention sites (OPS). “Robust peer-reviewed evidence show that SIS and OPS are saving lives and making a difference as the province grapples with a growing opioid crisis,” says Grinspun.

“The opioid crisis is having a devastating effect on communities across Ontario, claiming the lives of at least three Ontarians each day. Nurses are looking to the government to take swift action and approve SIS and OPS sites on a permanent basis,” says Grinspun, adding that “any delay will result on the preventable loss of lives ̶ lives that are someone’s son, daughter, mother, neighbor or friend. This is why Premier Ford must listen to the evidence and move to approve funding and indeed expansion of SIS and OPS in communities that need them,” Grinspun urges.

RNAO has also heard from members on how hallway nursing is affecting their ability to provide safe care and the need to hire more RNs. Figures released in June by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) show that Ontario has the worst RN-to-population ratio in Canada. RNAO calculations based on CIHI figures show the province only has 669 RNs per 100,000 people compared to 828 RNs per 100,000 people across the rest of the nation.

“The majority of patients in acute care and cancer care hospitals have complex needs and require the expert knowledge, competencies and judgment of RNs,” says Grinspun. “If the Ontario government wants to end hallway nursing, improve Ontarians’ health outcomes and overall health system performance ̶ they must make RN hiring a top priority. Let’s not wait for another SARS-like crisis to wake up and take action.”

“The work that nurses do touches the lives of so many people. Our members know the broad range of factors that foster good health and that is why we are eager to hear about their moments of inspiration and challenges they face,” says Brathwaite.

Join the conversation by using the hashtag #RNAOfalltour.

Details of RNAO’s fall tour:

• Ottawa: Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Mary Pitt Building, 100 Constellation Dr.

• Petrolia: Oct. 4 from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at Fiddick’s Nursing Home, 437 1st Ave.

• Chatham: Oct. 4 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Meadow Park Chatham, 110 Sandys St.

• Windsor: Oct. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bacchus Ristorante, 614 Erie St. East

• Toronto: Oct. 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in committee room #1 at North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge St.

• Sudbury: Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at Caruso Club lower hall, 385 Haig St.

A visit will also be taking place in Timmins.

Members of the media are welcome to attend.

RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the healthcare system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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