PC leader to discuss health care with nurses for Take Your MPP To Work

TORONTO, May 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Checking the pulse of Ontario's health system, the leader of the official opposition, PC MPP Patrick Brown will travel across the province during Nursing Week (May 8-14) to participate in the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's (RNAO) Take Your MPP To Work initiative.

On May 8 and 13, nurses will welcome Brown to six health facilities in Ontario including The Vanier Centre for Women in Milton, St. Joseph's Health Centre in downtown Toronto, and Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie.

RNAO's CEO Doris Grinspun and Patrick Brown will join nurses and nursing students at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) on May 8, to give thanks to the nurses working at the hospital and to see the outstanding care they provide to patients and their families.      

"Nurses are central to a high performing health system, and I am honoured to once again join RNAO in the Take Your MPP To work event to celebrate Ontario's nurses. I am delighted to join RNAO's CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun, as well as Christine Bintakies and Natalia Kusendova, RNAO's Peel Chapter representatives to visit with RNs, NPs, nursing students, and patients at The Hospital for Sick Children to celebrate the expert care of nurses," says Patrick Brown, PC Leader.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to applaud nurses and to see how The Hospital for Sick Children is meeting the needs of the community it serves and the work still needed to improve the health outcomes for children in Ontario," says Grinspun. "Thanks to Take Your MPP To Work, politicians can stay in touch with the day-to-day challenges and successes of Ontario's health system."

Who:
-Patrick Brown, Ontario PC leader
-Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO)
-Judy Van Clieaf, Vice-President, Clinical and Chief of Professional Practice and Nursing at The Hospital for Sick Children
-Christine Bintakies, RNAO Peel Chapter President
- Natalia Kusendova, RNAO Peel Chapter Policy and Political Action Executive Nursing Officer

What:
Take Your MPP To Work

When and Where:
Monday, May 8
12:15 to 1:15 p.m. – The Vanier Centre for Women, 661 Martin St. Milton, Milton, ON
2 to 3 p.m. – St. Joseph's Health Centre, 30 The Queensway, Toronto, ON
4 to 5 p.m. –The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON*
*Media are asked to meet at the Information Desk near the 170 Elizabeth St. entrance

Saturday, May 13
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Royal Victoria Hospital, 201 Georgian Dr., Barrie, ON; Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, 170 Colborne St. W, Orillia, ON; Georgian Bay General Hospital, 1112 St. Andrews Dr., Midland, ON

More details about Patrick Brown's visits can be found on RNAO's Take Your MPP To Work page.

Take Your MPP To Work, now in its 17^th year, is an annual event organized by RNAO where politicians accompany a registered nurse (RN), nurse practitioner (NP) and nursing students to public health units, NP-led clinics, community health centres, family health teams, hospitals, home care visits and long-term care homes.

This year, more than 40 MPPs will participate, including the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario, PC Health Critic Jeff Yurek, and NDP Health Critic France Gélinas.

A full list of meetings scheduled for Take Your MPP To Work is available on RNAO's website.

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 health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit our website at RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

Victoria Alarcon, Editorial Assistant, RNAO, Tel: [phone] ext 211, [e-mail]