Nipigon Nurses Launch Campaign for Safe Care

NIPIGON, ON, May 6, 2015 /CNW/ - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) members – registered nurses from Nipigon District Memorial Hospital – are launching a campaign today to fight for safe, quality health care for their patients.

"An independent panel of nursing experts advised Nipigon District Memorial Hospital more than one year ago to improve patient care by increasing the number of registered nurses," said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "Yet of 25 practical and effective recommendations, the hospital has acted to implement just two."

Haslam-Stroud says this blatant disregard of changes intended to make patient care safe is unacceptable. Now, ONA is launching a campaign to involve the community in a push to implement the recommendations.

"Quality patient care is vital for everyone in this community," said Haslam-Stroud. "We are encouraging – as the patient advocates we are – to visit http://www.ona.org/nipigon and send a message that it's high time the hospital acted on these recommendations and improve the quality and safety of care."

In addition, "our skilled and capable RNs will be leafleting in communities to educate the community about the value of RN care," said Haslam-Stroud. "The research is clear: each time an extra patient is added to the average RN's workload, patients suffer a seven-per-cent increase in risk of complications and even death. Patients suffer more ulcers, blood clots, sepsis, pneumonia, cardiac arrest bedsores when there are not enough RNs to provide safe, quality care."

Last year, the Independent Assessment Committee recommended that Nipigon District Memorial Hospital RNs not be replaced with less-educated workers during weekday evening shifts as the hospital intended, and that it increase the number of RNs working in the ER and develop a nursing human resources plan – with input from RNs.

"It is vital that our hospital patients receive the best-quality RN care possible," said Haslam-Stroud. "I encourage this community to stand up for quality care."

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, the community, public health, clinics and industry.

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

Sheree Bond, [phone], ext. 24430; cell: [phone]; [email protected], Melanie Levenson, [phone], ext. 2369, [email protected]