/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - Ontario Nurses' Association to call on government to hire more RNs in pre-budget presentation/

KINGSTON, ON, Jan. 22, 2014 /CNW/ - The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) will call on the provincial government to end cuts to registered nursing positions and to hire more RNs in its pre-budget presentation tomorrow to the Standing Committee on Finance & Economic Affairs in Kingston.

Anne Clark, RN, Vice-President (ONA Region 2) followed by Cathryn Hoy, RN, Kingston General Hospital, will each make presentations that address the ongoing professional practice and workload concerns impacting patient care that have resulted from chronic underfunding of the province's hospitals. Ontario has a very low RN-to-population ratio – the second-lowest ratio in Canada, with just seven RNs per 1,000 Ontarians. RN understaffing has led to significant challenges in delivering safe, quality patient care to patients.

Clark will talk about the impact of RN cuts to patients at The Ottawa Hospital; Hoy will detail the specific effects of understaffing in two units at Kingston General.

The hearing is being held tomorrow at the Days Inn in Kingston. Clark speaks at 9:15 and Hoy follows at 9:30 am.

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.

What:	Ontario Nurses' Association pre-budget presentations.
Who:	Anne Clark, RN, Vice-President, Region 2, Ontario Nurses' Association
	Cathryn Hoy, RN, Kingston General Hospital
Where:	Days Inn, 33 Benson Street, Kingston, ON
When:	Anne Clark: 9:15 am; Cathryn Hoy: 9:30 am, Thursday, January 23, 2014

SOURCE: Ontario Nurses' Association

Ontario Nurses' Association, Sheree Bond, [phone] ext.2430; cell: [phone], [email protected]; Melanie Levenson, [phone] ext. 2369, [email protected]; Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; Twitter.com/OntarioNurses