Registered Practical Nurses Applaud Ontario NDP Commitment to Bolster Hospital Funding

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 16, 2018 /CNW/ - The Registered Practical Nurses Association (RPNAO) welcomes today's NDP platform commitments to return Ontario's hospitals to sustainable levels of funding and to institute a moratorium on layoffs for front-line health care workers. RPNs are knowledge-based health professionals that are an integral part of patient care teams. Every day they strive to deliver the care their patients deserve. When hospitals cut back on frontline nursing staff this care ultimately suffers.

The NDP commitment to immediately increase hospital funding by 5.3% and tie future increases to inflation, population growth and local community needs can help improve patients' access to quality nursing care. However, it only makes a real impact if part of the additional resources is allocated to ensure that hospital units are staffed with an adequate number of nurses.  Unfortunately, in recent years, this has not always been the case for many Ontario hospitals.

"We are encouraged that Andrea Horwath and the NDP want to focus on helping our nurses at the point of care," said Dianne Martin, CEO of RPNAO. "We have to do more to make sure we have enough nurses in all health care sectors. Ontario's RPNs welcome the opportunity to work together with our partners inside and outside government to improve people's access to the compassionate, high-quality nursing care they need and deserve."

RPNAO also welcomes the Ontario NDP commitments to "work with heath care partners to take action to stop the violence that health care workers too often face on the job" and to introduce legislation to "extend presumptive coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder to all front-line health care workers." RPNAO has long advocated for including nurses in PTSD legislation and believe it is time that adequate care and support be provided for nurses whose mental health has been negatively impacted by exposure to violent or traumatic stresses in the workplace.

About the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario

Founded in 1958, RPNAO is the voice of registered practical nursing in Ontario. There are approximately 43,000 RPNs working in Ontario, playing a vital role in the province's health care system. To learn more about RPNAO, its mandate and how RPNs contribute to Ontario's health care system, please visit rpnao.org.

SOURCE Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario

For further information: Dianne Martin, CEO, The Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (RPNAO), Tel: [phone] ext. 226