More Nurses for Ontario, Not Cuts: ONA calls for better, safer care
TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2014 /CNW/ - The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) says more registered nurses and better, safer care are needed for our patients in Ontario, not more nursing cuts.
ONA launched a new ad campaign today to raise awareness of the need for more registered nurses for the province.
Speaking at ONA's stakeholder launch event this morning, ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN said that, "More RNs means better, safer patient care. The research is clear on this, and with this campaign, ONA is calling for an end to the RN cuts that are hurting our patients."
The multi-media campaign consists of a television commercial airing across the province, on-line ads, pre-roll video and a website - www.morenurses.ca. The TV commercial can be viewed at www.morenurses.ca and a video of the campaign launch will be available soon on YouTube.
Speaking to ONA members, nursing students and Ryerson University nursing faculty members, Haslam-Stroud said that, "Patient care suffers when RN positions are deleted, workloads are excessive or the workplace is deskilled. We need to train and hire more RNs so that our patients receive the best care possible. This would bring better health outcomes for our patients and prevent expensive hospital readmissions."
Research has shown that for every patient added to an average RN's workload, patient risk of complications and death rise by seven-per-cent.
"Ontario continues to have the second-lowest ratio of RNs-to-population in all of Canada," says Haslam-Stroud. "Yet despite a worldwide nursing shortage, the underfunding of Ontario hospitals has led to RN cuts as administrators cut the front lines to balance the bottom lines."
In Ontario, more than 1,000 RN positions have been cut in the last two years alone. For Ontario to reach the median ratio in Canada requires 17,500 more RNs. The consequences for patients, notes Haslam-Stroud, include longer wait times and poorer health outcomes.
"The cuts tell our young people that nursing is not a secure career path for them," says Haslam-Stroud. "Ontario can and should fix RN shortage, for the benefit of all patients." She urges Ontario residents to question their MPPs on where they stand on RN cuts.
ONA is the union representing 60,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals, as well as more than 14,000 nursing student affiliates providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.
SOURCE: Ontario Nurses' Association
Ontario Nurses' Association
Melanie Levenson (416) 964-1979 ext. 2369; [email protected]
Sheree Bond (416) 964-1979 ext.2430; cell: (416) 986-8240; [email protected]
Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; Twitter.com/OntarioNurses
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