RNAO’s ongoing media profile: Your September 2025 report
This month, RNAO’s media profile includes a profile of CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun on her career in nursing, a letter she penned in response to Barrie’s declaration of a state of emergency due to homeless encampments and a government announcement about primary care.
Grinspun spoke with El Centro (Sept. 6) about her experience as a nurse. Grinspun studied nursing in Chile, Israel, the United States and Canada. She said that studying in various countries allowed her to understand how culture impacts nursing practice. “That experience gave me a special sensitivity for working in a country as diverse as Canada,” Grinspun explained. She also discussed the best practice guidelines program, which help nurses and health-care professionals provide evidence-based care, and is now implemented in health-care settings around the world. “I never imagined they would become a global benchmark,” said Grinspun.
On Sept. 9, Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall declared a state of emergency to address homelessness encampments in the city, citing drug use and crime for his decision. In a letter to the editor published on Barrie Today (Sept. 13), Grinspun said that referring to those experiencing homelessness as lawless is dangerous and lacks humanity. “Blaming people who need help is not the answer and they should not be demonized. Everyone deserves dignity and respect — not to be stereotyped as ‘dangerous,’ said Grinspun. What is needed, Grinspun argued, is access to affordable housing and the provision of essential health-care services and social supports. “Without an adequate system in place, people will continue to fall through the cracks.”.
RNAO responded to the Ontario government’s call for proposals to create more primary care teams . It commended “the government for continuing to expand team-based care – a model that delivers better health outcomes and greater equity. Nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and our interprofessional colleagues are eager to contribute their expertise to these new and expanded teams so that more people across Ontario receive the high-quality, timely and person-centred care they need and deserve,” noted Grinspun in a statement (National Post, Sept. 23).
Statistics Canada published a new report on Sept. 24 that found that internationally-educated nurses (IEN) are having difficulty finding work in Canada despite the ongoing nursing shortage. “We are asking employers to look and see what is stopping them from integrating IENs faster and [more effectively] so they will stay in Ontario. People come from everywhere and we need nurses from everywhere,” Grinspun told OMNI Television (Sept. 24). RNAO board member Dr. Edward Cruz also told OMNI Television that “IENs should be made part of our health workforce retention and recruitment strategy and not just a band aid solution.”
RNAO’s Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO) Global Summit held on Sept. 23-25 and the BPSO Ontario Health Team Summit, which followed on Sept. 26 attracted media attention. In an interview with Radio-Canada (Sept. 24), RPN Carissa Auger from Glengarry Hospital shared that her organization initially started with implementing three RNAO best practice guidelines (BPG) related to preventing wounds, preventing falls and people-centred care. “Now, we have reached the point where we can choose which ones to implement. Last year, I did palliative care. This year, we are continuing with the second palliative care guide, which is focused on the 12 months before the end of life,” Auger told Mary Proudfoot, a community RN with Sioux Lookout First Nation shared with Radio-Canada (Sept. 24) that it is important for events like the summit to improve health care globally.
RNAO continues to speak out alongside its members on topics related to nursing and health. Stay up to date on media coverage by visiting RNAO in the news. If you’re interested in speaking with reporters on issues related to nursing, health and health care, complete a short survey.
