RNAO welcomes largest-ever cohort to its Best Practice Spotlight Organization program

TORONTO, April 10, 2026 /CNW/ - The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is welcoming its largest-ever group of health organizations to its world-renowned Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) program, marking a significant milestone in advancing evidence-based practice across Ontario's health system.  

Over the next three years, the organizations will implement multiple RNAO best practice guidelines (BPG) and evaluate their impact on individuals and communities. BPGs provide nurses and other health providers with current, evidence-based recommendations that enhance the quality of care people receive. Throughout the process, each organization will receive coaching and support from RNAO's BPSO coaches.

"Welcoming 31 organizations from across Ontario marks an extraordinary moment for our ever-growing BPSO program," says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun, founder of the BPG and BPSO programs. "From public health and community care to hospitals, long-term care and Indigenous-focused organizations, these partners are united in their commitment to advance evidence-based practice and strengthen health outcomes for all."

The cohort will also include several organizations that specialize in mental health, substance use and harm reduction. "The addition of these health organizations will reinforce approaches that are compassionate, ethical and grounded in the realities of the people we serve. It is a significant and inspiring step forward for our collective work supporting people in our communities," says Grinspun.

Representatives from each new organization will participate in a special orientation launch in Toronto on April 14-15. The two-day event will include remarks from Grinspun, Minister of Long-Term Care and RN Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, and the province's Chief of Nursing & Professional Practice and Assistant Deputy Minister Dr. Karima Velji.

"The BPSO program has evolved since 2003 into a powerful force for evidence‑based practice across Ontario, Canada and beyond," says Dr. Michelle Rey, director of RNAO's International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Centre. "We know these new BPSOs will have a profound and lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of the people they serve, while motivating others to join this phenomenal movement."

What: Orientation launch for 31 organizations joining RNAO's BPSO program.

When: Tuesday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 15, 2026
               8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET

Who:

• Hon. Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, minister of long-term care
• Dr. Karima Velji, chief of nursing & professional practice and assistant deputy minister
• Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO CEO and founder of the BPG and BPSO programs  
• Dr. Michelle Rey, director, International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines (IABPG) Centre, RNAO
• Janet Chee, associate director, Guideline Implementation & Knowledge Transfer, IABPG Centre, RNAO
• Dr. Julia Fineczko, associate director, Long-Term Care Best Practices Program, IABPG Centre, RNAO
• Grace Suva, senior manager, Indigenous Health, IABPG Centre, RNAO
• Sabrina Merali, manager, Mental Health and Substance Use Program, IABPG Centre, RNAO
• BPSO teams, including nurses and interdisciplinary colleagues across public health, community, hospital, long-term care and Indigenous health programs

Where: Prince Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza Toronto North York (formerly the Pan Pacific)  
               900 York Mills Road, Toronto, Ont.

List of the 31 organizations joining the BPSO program:

Cohort 9 – Implementation science 

• Georgian Bay General Hospital
• Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare
• Humber Polytechnic University
• Michael Garron Hospital
• Peterborough Regional Health Centre 
• Runnymede Healthcare Centre
• Rural Roads Health Services
• Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit  
• South Riverdale Community Health Centre 
• The Neighbourhood Group (TNG) Community Services
• Woodstock General Hospital

 Cohort 4 – Indigenous-focused 

• Dilico Anishnabek Family Care
• Independent First Nations Alliance
• Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO)
• Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake) Nursing Station
• Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre
• Six Nations Family Health Team
• Tsi Kanonhkhwatsheriyo Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team (IIPCT) 

Cohort M – Long-term care 

• Brucelea Haven 
• Chapleau Health Services (The Bignucolo Residence)  
• Downsview Long Term Care
• Huronlea Home For the Aged              
• King Nursing Home
• Miramichi Lodge                     
• Mauno Kaihla Koti
• Nipigon District Memorial Hospital
• The Prescott and Russell Residence 
• Yee Hong Centre - Markham
• Yee Hong Centre - Mississauga
• Yee Hong Centre - Scarborough Finch
• Yee Hong Centre - Scarborough McNicoll

RNAO's Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Program is funded by Ontario's Ministry of Health. It was envisioned by CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun in 1998 and launched in 1999 to provide the best available evidence for people's care across all health sectors and settings, with more than 50 guidelines developed to date. The Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) program supports service and academic institutions that have formally agreed to implement multiple RNAO BPGs over a three-year period, and evaluate their impact on patients, organizations and health systems. Launched in 2003, the BPSO program now has more than 1,500 BPSOs in Ontario, Canada and internationally.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (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 we serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For more information, please contact: Victoria Alarcon, Communications Officer/Writer, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 211, 416-408-5610, [email protected]; Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 209, 416-408-5605, 647-406-5605 (cell), [email protected]