Ontario nursing association CEO available to comment on impact of Novel Coronavirus on Ontario's frontline healthcare workers

TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2020 /CNW/ - With public health officials announcing three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Canada, there is growing concern amongst Ontarians around the spread of the virus. To discuss the coronavirus threat from the perspective of frontline healthcare workers, Dianne Martin, CEO, Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WeRPN), is available to comment on the following:

• Measures and countermeasures that are currently being deployed and what other steps could be taken to track and limit the spread of the virus
• Protective measures that primary care workers including nurses ought to take to avoid contracting the virus
• How WeRPN is regularly and closely working with Ontario's Ministry of Health to keep the medical community informed and updated about developments related to the Novel Coronavirus
• Advice for the general public on how to protect themselves from the virus and to avoid the spread of any misinformation

About Dianne Martin
Dianne Martin has been a nurse since 1979. She graduated first as an RPN and then in 1998, she graduated as an RN with a diploma in nursing and is dually registered as both an RN and RPN. Currently she works as an RPN in the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario where she has been recognized for her work to build bridges of greater understanding and respect among the categories of nurses in Ontario. Dianne has experience working in several Ontario hospitals predominantly in the field of Perinatal Care. She has held several leadership positions including professional practice coordinator in an Ontario hospital and senior policy analyst with the Nursing Policy and Innovation Branch of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (formerly The Nursing Secretariat).

In 2016 Dianne received the Premier's Award which recognizes college graduates whose achievements have made a difference in the province of Ontario.

She is the daughter of a nurse, mother to a nurse, and she holds all those who care for others in the highest regard.

About Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WeRPN)
Founded in 1958, WeRPN is the voice of registered practical nursing in Ontario. There are approximately 45,000 RPNs working in Ontario, playing a vital role in the province's health care system.

We are formerly RPNAO. Learn more at www.werpn.com

SOURCE Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario

For comments and interview requests, please contact Tiff Blair at [email protected]