April 19 2022 COVID-19 report

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Dear Colleagues: Welcome to my Tuesday, April 19 blog during this twenty sixth month of COVID-19 in Ontario. You can find earlier update reports here, including thematic pieces in Doris’ COVID-19 Blog. And, for the many resources RNAO offers on COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Portal where you will also find RNAO media hits and releases on the pandemic here. Share this report and link broadly. Scroll down for Action Alerts and upcoming RNAO webinars.

I hope you had a great long weekend and a meaningful Easter, Passover, Ramadan, or Vaisakhi and Sikh Heritage Month -- to all who celebrate. Huge thanks to those of you who were at work!

This week we share: 1) Environmental priorities on agenda during RNAO and CAPE-ON provincial party debate; 2) RNAO urges Premier Doug Ford not to lift mask mandates in high-risk settings scheduled to end April 27; 3) RNAO responds to the federal budget; and 4) how social media hacks our brains.


Environmental priorities on agenda during RNAO and CAPE-ON provincial party debate: Join us today -- Tuesday, April 19, 2022, 7:30 – 9 p.m. ET

Toronto, April 18, 2022. Ontarians will cast a vote in the provincial election on June 2. To inform voters on each party’s priorities, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) will be co-hosting an all-party virtual debate with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment’s Ontario Chapter (CAPE-ON) on April 19 focused on health and justice in a climate emergency.

Moderated by Dan Riskin, former co-host of Daily Planet, RNAO is pleased to welcome representatives from provincial parties to the virtual podium to share their party’s positions on specific environmental issues, including climate change, urban sprawl and health equity. All Ontarians are invited to attend the event.

In its 2022 provincial election platform, Ontario’s nursing crisis: Your health, your health system, RNAO prioritizes five areas of focus with one being environmental determinants of health and provides recommendations for the next government to adopt. These include implementation of a comprehensive plan to meet a 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target of 60 per cent below 2005 levels; and a comprehensive water policy to ensure clean, safe water for all Ontarians. Nurses know what factors shape health, and these steps are vital to protect the environment, and consequently, people’s health.

WHAT: The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment’s Ontario Chapter (CAPE-ON) co-host an all-party virtual debate to discuss each party’s environmental priorities ahead of the June 2 provincial election.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 19, 2022, 7:30 – 9 p.m. ET

WHO:

  • Dianne Saxe, deputy leader of the Green Party of Ontario
  • Peter Tabuns, MPP for Toronto-Danforth, NDP critic for climate crisis and energy
  • Katie Gibbs, candidate for Ottawa Centre, Liberal Party of Ontario
  • PC Party of Ontario (invited)

Moderator: Dan Riskin, Canadian biologist and science journalist

WHERE/HOW: Please register online to receive the Zoom details via email.


RNAO urges Premier Doug Ford not to lift mask mandates in high-risk settings due to end April 27

RNAO issued the following media release on April 12. Sign the Action Alert asking the Ontario premier to keep mandatory masking in all high-risk settings to protect Ontarians and our health-care workers past its April 27 deadline.


Toronto, April 12, 2022. On the same day Ontario’s chief medical officer of health admitted the province was well into a sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, he ignored calls to reinstate mask mandates. Instead, Dr. Kieran Moore opted to issue a “strong recommendation” that people protect themselves with a three-layer or medical mask. It’s unlikely that such a measure will help stem the tide of new infections, says the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO).

During a press conference Monday – his first public appearance in more than a month – Dr.  Moore addressed concerns about the rising number of infections and an increase in the number of patients in hospitals, which now stands at 1,090. Dr. Moore did not address the implications of rising infection rates on the future prevalence of long COVID in Ontarians. Nor did he touch on further backlogs of surgeries and procedures likely to result from rising hospitalization rates.

Although Ontario lifted its masking mandate for most indoor settings on March 21, masking is still mandated in high-risk settings for long-term care and retirement homes, hospitals, other health facilities and public transit until April 27.

RNAO’s CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun says the province must rescind its decision to remove wider indoor masking mandates until this sixth wave shows signs of abating. “Quebec and PEI demonstrated the leadership that is necessary by delaying the lifting of their mandates for most indoor settings; Ontario instead lifted our requirement three weeks ago. The result is a massive wave of COVID-19 infections and an increase in hospitalizations across Ontario. Nurses warn against dropping the last essential public health measure in the very places where they are needed most. Doing so will place Ontarians and the province’s health-care workforce further at risk.”

“Dr. Moore said ‘the health system is being protected by the level of vaccination we see in the community.’ Yet, he failed to mention that the uptake for the third (booster) shot is only 59.2 per cent of the population. There has been no organized public campaign to promote booster shots, the definition of “fully vaccinated” has not moved beyond two shots, and the government has downloaded the responsibility of addressing the still-dangerous virus to individuals and families,” laments Grinspun.

"Dr. Moore is also forgetting that nurses and other health providers have been fighting this virus for more than two years. They are spent and exhausted. And yet, the work of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and other health providers continues. They are needed to help clear the backlog of thousands of surgeries and diagnostic procedures that forced Ontarians to wait after they were cancelled due to the pandemic,” says RNAO President Morgan Hoffarth. “Thousands of Ontarians in urgent need of these appointments will continue their ongoing nightmare of waiting and getting dreadful postponement notices. The fact that the Ontario government does not have their back, but instead engages measures that are likely to extend their wait, can only increase their stress,” she adds.    

Last week, the Ontario government announced it would expand eligibility for a fourth dose or booster shot for people aged 60 and over, as well as First Nation, Inuit and Métis people and their non-Indigenous household members. Dr. Moore also announced during Monday’s press conference that the government was ramping up efforts to ensure Paxlovid, an oral antiviral drug, is more readily available to those who could benefit from it, including individuals who are 18 and over and immunocompromised, those 70 and over, and individuals aged 60 and over with fewer than three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The experience in earlier stages of the pandemic demonstrates that if we truly want these boosters and drugs to be available for vulnerable communities, targeted campaigns and special resources must be allocated to achieve the goal. Otherwise, the likely outcome will be, once again, that more affluent and resourceful communities get the access to boosters and drugs while others are left behind,” Hoffarth insists.

Although RNAO welcomes these extra layers and avenues of protection against the Omicron and BA.2 variants for vulnerable populations, they are insufficient. “We must stress that the pandemic is not over. That’s why we strongly urge everyone to wear a properly fitting, good quality mask such as an N-95, make sure you are fully vaccinated and boosted and take other precautions such as providing better ventilation in enclosed spaces,” says Hoffarth. “Taking all preventative measures will help keep you, your loved ones and our communities safe.”

We urge you to sign the Action Alert.


Nurses praise federal government commitment to dental care, child care and co-op housing; insufficient increase in health transfers and lack of attention to climate emergency deeply concerning

On April 8 RNAO issued the following media release in response to the federal budget.


Toronto, April 8, 2022. The federal government has tabled a budget that lives up to its recent commitments to provide a dental care program as part of its “confidence and supply” agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP). With funding promised to cover children under 12 within this budget year, the program will be a major advancement for medicare in Canada, according to the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO).

Lauded by nurses is the decision to move ahead with funding to reduce child care costs by 50 per cent by the end of 2022 and to evolve to an average of $10 per day by 2026, as well as prioritize non-profit operators. Like most parents, nurses struggle to find spots for their kids.

Nurses also applaud funding of $5.3 billion for a three-year plan that will ensure children in low income families have access to oral care, something RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun says “is essential for a person’s health and well-being.” The budget also detailed plans to expand the program to other underserved Canadians, including people under 18, people who live with a disability and seniors. “We are thrilled to see a commitment to dental care for families whose income is less than $90,000 per year, with no co-payments for families earning below $70,000,” adds Grinspun.

While it is disappointing that the budget commits no new funds for a national pharmacare program, RNAO looks forward to seeing a pharmacare bill in 2023, and to the establishment of the long-promised Canadian Drug Agency to develop a national essential drug formulary to carry out bulk drug purchasing. The modest commitment of $100 million over three years to help Health Canada deal with the opioid crisis is also welcome. However, RNAO had hoped for a greater commitment to ensure a safe supply of drugs and decriminalization, noting that the opioid crisis has robbed countless families across Canada of their loved ones.

Additional funding measures nurses were hoping for from the government include a robust increase in health transfers. “The commitment to an increase of 4.8 per cent falls short of what’s needed to bring the national contribution to 35 per cent of total health expenditures,” says Grinspun. And, although “we welcome the one-time investment of $2 billion to help clear surgical backlogs, RNAO is disappointed that this commitment does not sufficiently address the acute human resources crisis in health care, particularly in the nursing profession. Health-care workers continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic. Without addressing the nursing shortage, services for Canadians will continue to suffer and the surgical backlog will not be resolved,” says Grinspun.

RNAO welcomes that the federal budget prioritizes housing – a critical determinant of health – by allocating $1.5 billion to build the next generation of co-operative housing. RNAO’s President Morgan Hoffarth says “We join the Co-Operative Housing Federation of Canada in celebrating the first investment in co-op communities in 30 years. We urge the government to continue finding ways to speed the development of affordable and accessible housing to remedy the crisis for the hundreds of thousands of persons living in homelessness in Canada, one of the richest countries in the world.”

The association is also pleased that the budget contains measures to increase the government’s capacity to support important and necessary expenditures. For example, increases in revenue from the banking and life insurance sector are proposed through a one-time recovery dividend and a permanent increase in corporate tax rates. Also welcome are measures to reduce tax avoidance, including $1.2 billion over five years for the Canada Revenue Agency to pursue people who avoid paying taxes and limit the ability of federally-regulated financial institutions to use tax havens. RNAO says these measures are needed to ensure stable government revenues, reduce deficits and pay for necessary health, environmental and social programs.

The budget also contains some major sources of disappointment. One is its failure to offer concrete details on how it will help improve long-term care (LTC), despite an agreement with the NDP pledging to do just that two weeks ago. Although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed he would fix this sector with help from the provinces, the budget does not shed light on any strategy to do so. Hoffarth says “Canada desperately needs to help improve the lives of seniors across this country. Thousands of families lost their loved ones needlessly. The federal government has to take the lead on this and we are appalled that seniors and hard-working nurses and other health-care staff who work in this sector have been let down again.”

And, despite dire warnings from the United Nations’ (UN) International Panel on Climate Change, the budget misses the opportunity to take more meaningful and urgent action on climate change. “We are at such a crucial time in our lives and in the lives of our children and grandchildren. The measures put forth do not come to terms with the catastrophic consequences of inaction on global warming,” says Hoffarth.

One major concern RNAO has with the budget’s approach to climate change is the expansion of subsidies to the fossil fuel industry under the controversial “carbon capture investment tax credit.” Another is the recent approval of the Bay du Nord oil project. This commitment to a massive new infrastructure project is perplexing at a time when UN Secretary General António Guterres says investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is “moral and economic madness.”


How Social Media Hacks Our Brains

At RNAO we are increasingly concerned about the societal harms arising from social media – on relationships, deteriorating mental health, harming youth, COVID-19 misinformation, promoting ‘otherness’ and extremism, eroding democracy, etc. There is urgent need to regulate the social media industry to lessen these harms.

The following article from the Center for Humane Technology explores how social media companies purposefully exploit biological vulnerabilities in the human brain. The original article, including references, can be found here.


Introduction

Our evolved biology serves us brilliantly in many ways but also includes vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Persuasive technology—technology that shapes attitudes and behavior—pushes many of these buttons, leveraging our vulnerabilities to generate engagement and, ultimately, corporate revenue.

Our brains are more porous than we tend to believe. We shape our environment and, for better or worse, our environment shapes our brains. When we engage persuasive technology repeatedly, it begins to train us: our thoughts, feelings, motivations and attention start to replicate what the technology is designed to produce. This training creates a kind of neural momentum that makes us more likely to persist in those behaviors, even when they’re not good for us.

Social media presents a special case of persuasive technology where psychological levers are poked and prodded again and again, often without our conscious awareness. We don’t click randomly: many designs deliberately leverage our deepest vulnerabilities by promoting compulsive behavior that compromises our autonomy and well-being. Here are some of the most prominent examples:

#1 - Making the Trivial Seem Urgent

Because our attention is a limited resource, at any given moment our brains need to determine what is important. The “salience network” of the brain, which includes the anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, helps us do that. When the salience network is activated, we are alerted to threats and opportunities. Acting as a kind of circuit breaker, the salience network signals when the brain should direct its resources to some new, external source.

Notifications (vibrations, red dots, flashing lights, banners) constantly trigger the salience network, effectively fooling us that something new but trivial is urgent. Of course, there are occasions when we get an important notification that needs to be highlighted, but most of the time, social media notifications act as false alarms, compromising our ability to attend to what is important. ‍‍‍‍

#2 - Encouraging Seeking Without Fulfillment

We want things and when we get them, we enjoy them. However, the brain circuit involved in wanting (mesolimbic dopaminergic system) is much more powerful than the brain circuit involved in enjoyment. The feeling of wanting something can be so strong that even when we find what we want, we don’t get much satisfaction. Sometimes, the wanting networks in the brain become hypersensitive and we get addicted: endless loops of seeking. In addiction, what we want becomes dissociated from what we enjoy.

Technology often capitalizes on the potency of wanting, providing endless possibilities for seeking but few experiences that satiate. We might find fleeting pleasure, but no enduring satisfaction. Our “tolerance” increases, and we need more to achieve the same effects. The result: we keep clicking and scrolling, mindlessly consuming content, often with minimal oversight from cognitive control regions of the brain. Ultimately, this behavior depletes us, but feeds engagement-based business models.

#3 - Forcing Us to Multitask

The capacity of our brains to process information is staggering: billions of neurons have trillions of “conversations” among each other, activating large networks of our brains to navigate the demands of living. Yet our brains’ resources are limited: we are highly distractible creatures and the quality of our attention can easily be compromised. When we frequently switch attention from one task to another, we experience an “attention residue” whereby thoughts about the previous task interfere with giving full attention to the current task.

Social media inspires this multitasking, which affects our cognitive control, emotions, and, ultimately, our brains. These platforms keep us continuously engaged, triggering repetitive, automated behavior and weakening activation in the prefrontal cognitive control regions of our brains. A National Academy of Sciences working group found that media multitasking among youth is associated with poorer memory, increased impulsivity, and changes in brain function. This evidence encourages us to be cautious with our brains and avoid continuously flooding all of our brains’ channels.

#4 - Weaponizing Fear and Anxiety

Two decades ago, researchers wrote an influential paper where they famously concluded: bad is stronger than good. Negative information garners more attention and shapes emotion and behavior more powerfully than positive information. Our brains process negatively valenced information – especially fear-related stimuli – more quickly and thoroughly than they process positive information. This makes evolutionary sense: in the pursuit of survival, the potential loss involved in a singular experience of threat outweighs the gain involved in singular experience of pleasure. It is unsurprising that social media content generating fear, anger, and disgust spreads much faster than positive content. We marinate in this negativity and it propels deeper engagement. Fear and outrage become the norm and can erode our sense of goodness and shared humanity. ‍‍

#5 - Encouraging Constant Social Comparison

As social animals, we naturally evaluate our own worth by comparing ourselves to others. The medial prefrontal cortex in our brains prioritizes information about ourselves. Self-esteem involves an ongoing process of affirming ourselves and fighting off threats to self-worth.

Our habit of measuring ourselves against others sometimes inspires us to achieve more, but comparisons more commonly lead to negative emotions: envy, shame, anxiety, or conceit. Social media dramatically escalates the scope and stakes of our comparisons. It floods us with highly curated images featuring people in select moments showing only what they want you to see. Influencers establish standards of excellence and we tether our self-image to those ideals. Our ‘likes’ – which activate powerful reward circuits in the brain – become a commentary on the deepest part of ourselves. This is a recipe for compulsive comparison, self-doubt, and egocentric melodrama. ‍‍

#6 - Telling Us Whatever We Want to Believe

Our brains are exquisitely sensitive to social exclusion. Social rejection hurts in the same way physical pain can hurt. Consequently, we experience strong pressure to conform. Software algorithms learn about our preferences, customizing and curating the information we receive. In our online bubbles, deviating from the party line carries serious social risk. When we become invested in a particular view, we celebrate supportive information and dismiss contradictory information, a phenomenon known as “confirmation bias.” Taken to an extreme, our society finds itself subscribing to different versions of reality. When algorithms tell us what we want to believe, we become more polarized and lose a sense of ourselves as a cohesive social group with shared understanding.


ACTION ALERTS AND MUST JOIN EVENTS – OPEN TO ALL


Save the date for RNAO’s 97th Annual General Meeting: June 9 – 11, 2022

To explore nurses’ experiences over the past year, the theme for this year’s virtual 97th Annual General Meeting (AGM) happening June 9 – 11 is “COVID-19 pandemic: Nursing through crisis.” 

This is our chance to gather as a community of RNs, NPs and nursing students in a virtual space to reflect on the past year and look ahead at the opportunities to strengthen the nursing profession for the current workforce, for the next generation of nurses, and for Ontarians.

Register now for the AGM, view the schedule of events and stay tuned for more details in the near future. If you’re attending: tag @RNAO and use #RNAOAGM in your tweets. 


Best Practice Champions Virtual Workshop Session 1

April 19, 2022, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

The Best Practice Champions Network team has established a new, two-part Best Practice Champions Virtual Workshop to replace the in-person champions workshops. This free, online educational opportunity consists of a brief pre-recorded introductory video, and two live virtual sessions to be completed in sequential order.

For further details and registration, please go here.


Navigating Common Problems When Leading Change: Strategies for Champions to Succeed

April 20, 2022, 1:00pm - 1:45pm

Change is rarely a perfect, linear process. Instead, it often unfolds more slowly than planned and sometimes with unexpected problems.  

In this webinar, we will examine four common problems that can occur when implementing guidelines including:

  • loss of momentum;
  • lack of energy for change;
  • communications regarding the change that no longer inspire staff; and  
  • lack of frontline staff who emerge as informal leaders of change.

We will review some strategies to address common implementation problems and highlight some tools and resources from the Leading Change Toolkit™ that may help. 

During this presentation, participants will learn how to:

  • rebuild momentum through strategies such as engaging champions and aiming for quick wins  
  • understand the sources or domains of energy for change and how to enhance them
  • apply the six elements of effective framing to re-ignite motivation for the change
  • navigate opposition to the change 

Presenters: 

Jamesi Sutherland, RN, MBA (candidate), RNAO implementation science manager

Katherine Wallace, RN, MHS, RNAO senior manager, implementation science project lead – Leading Change Toolkit 

Related links: Receptivity to change

REGISTER NOW


Sill Time to Register for the NP Virtual Institute happening this Thursday, April 21

Join over 300 NPs, NP students and RNs aspiring to be NPs: This Thursday, April 21 from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET for the NP Virtual Institute. Free of Charge for RNAO NPs. 

The institute will:

  • inspire NP connections to foster resilience and self compassion
  • ignite your passion for clinical excellence
  • build your leadership and advocacy skills to drive meaningful practice and policy enhancements
  • spotlight unique NP practice roles from a case-based perspective 

Visit the official event page. Register today for the NP Virtual Institute

The NP Institutes is free for RNAO members.  

If you are not a member join RNAO here.

Joining RNAO now is only $100 inclusive of all taxes and Professional Liability Protection (PLP).


Best Practice Champions Virtual Workshop - Session 2

Apr 26, 2022, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

The Best Practice Champions Network team has established a new, two-part Best Practice Champions Virtual Workshop. This free, online educational opportunity consists of a brief pre-recorded introductory video, and two live virtual sessions to be completed in sequential order.

The Best Practice Champions Virtual Workshop series will be offered monthly, with session 1 and session 2 taking place once a month. This will provide you with ample opportunity to select the live session that best suits your work schedule. This online educational opportunity can be completed individually or as a group.

For further details and registration, please go here.


A Person- and Family-Centred Care Virtual Community of Practice: Planning for Implementation

Apr 26, 2022, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

*We are at full capacity and registration is closed. This series will be offered again in Summer 2022. Stay tuned for upcoming dates.

The RNAO Long-Term Care Best Practices Program is offering a community of practice (CoP) exclusive to Ontario long-term care (LTC) homes to implement the Person-and Family-Centred Care (PFCC) best practice guideline (BPG) practice recommendations through a collaborative peer supported process.

This virtual CoP has been designed for LTC home leaders and/or their interprofessional teams interested in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully lead, build capacity and sustain practice change in their organization through the implementation of PFCC best practices.

For details, please go here.


Wisdom in Wound Care Webinar Series: Venous Leg Ulcers

Apr 27, 2022, 12:00pm - 12:45pm

The Wisdom in Wound Care Webinar Series offers 12 monthly, 45-minute webinars hosted by RNAO and facilitated by wound care experts in Ontario. The webinar series will cover best practices in relation to acute and chronic wound prevention, assessment and treatment. 

The mission of the webinar series is to reduce the physiological, psychological and the fiscal burden of wounds throughout Ontario by building clinical expertise using best practices related to wound care. 

For details, please go here.


BPG Clinical Pathways for Long-Term Care Homes

Apr 28, 2022, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

This one-hour information session is designed for administrators, directors of care, assistant directors of care, registered and non-registered staff in Ontario’s long-term care (LTC) sector to learn all about RNAO’s new best practice guideline (BPG) Clinical Pathways and the new PointClickCare Nursing Advantage module.

For details, please go here.


RNAO-LAP Webcast: Understanding the College of Nurses of Ontario Investigation Process

May 3, 2022, 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Many nurses across the province of Ontario find themselves having to respond to an investigation by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).  Even if a nurse does not actually engage in any wrongdoing, they could still become the subject matter of an investigation.

For details, please go here.


Staying in touch          

Keeping in touch and being part of a community helps us get through challenging times. Keep telling us how RNAO can best support you. We very much appreciate and listen to your questions, comments, and challenges. Keep recommending ideas for articles and webinars. Write to me at <dgrinspun@rnao.ca> and copy my executive assistant Michelle Rangel <mrangel@rnao.ca>. RNAO’s Board of Directors and our entire staff want you to know: WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

Thank you for continuing to be there for your community, everywhere and in all roles!

Together, in solidarity, we are stronger. Thanks for encouraging your colleagues, their loved ones and your communities to be fully vaccinated – including booster shots. Keep reminding them that COVID-19 is aerosol and that proper ventilation and N95 masking is not just preferred but necessary. Tell everyone that COVID-19 is not gone and being smart means keeping a mask in all indoor public places to protect oneself, our loved ones and our communities. Thinking “we” instead of “me” means we are also caring to protect the most vulnerable amongst us.  

Let’s also be thoughtful and remember Dr. Tedros when he says that “#VaccinEquity remains the single most powerful tool we have to save lives.” Canada has purchased more vaccines than what it needs, while the majority of the poor remains unvaccinated. Like with other challenges we face – systemic discrimination and climate change – we are not safe until everyone is safe. Vaccines for all – literally for all, across the world – must continue to guide policy. Let’s learn from more than two years of pandemic and take real action to build a better world.

To everyone – THANK YOU! Please take care of yourself and know that RNAO always stands by you!

Here’s one constant throughout the pandemic. The silver lining of COVID-19 has been to come together and work as one people for the good of all. Let’s join efforts to demand that political leaders protect patients, students, and workers – and secure #Vaccines4All.

Doris Grinspun, RN,MSN, PhD, LLD(hon), Dr(hc), FAAN, FCAN, O.ONT
Chief Executive Officer, RNAO


RECENT BLOG ITEMS:

4 Apr - Social media is a public health crisis – Let’s treat it like one – go here.

4 Apr - RNAO’s ongoing media profile: The February and March 2022 report – go here.

28 Mar - RNAO sends letter to Ontario political parties on anti-Black racism – go here.

28 Mar - Omicron BA.2 subvariant becoming dominant, representing potential risk – go here.

28 Mar - Media release: RNAO applauds federal Liberal/NDP partnership to improve health and wellbeing of Canadians – go here.

11 Mar - RNAO commemorates the #NationalDayOfObservance – go here.

11 Mar - Persisting with masks after vaccination has major economic, health benefits, Lancet study says – go here.

11 Mar - Ontario’s decision to drop mask mandate puts politics ahead of science, risking gains made – go here.

11 Mar - CMAT gets ready to head to Poland and Ukraine – how you can help their urgent appeal – go here.

25 Feb - Solutions exist for Canada’s alt-right radicalization – go here.

25 Feb - Black and Indigenous protesters are treated differently than the ‘convoy’ because of Canada’s ongoing racism – go here.

25 Feb - RNAO releases its 2022 provincial election platform; calls on party leaders to prioritize Ontarians’ health – go here.

16 Feb - A better post-pandemic future means not giving in to COVID-19 now – go here.

16 Feb - Restoring community dialogue and resilience: The next COVID-19 emergency – go here.

16 Feb - Key public health measures needed to address catastrophic surgical backlog – go here.

10 Feb - Whose freedom is the ‘freedom convoy’ fighting for? Not everyone’s – go here.

10 Feb - The whole world should be worried by the ‘siege of Ottawa’. This is about much more than a few anti-vaxx truckers – go here.

10 Feb - Nursing report calls to end anti-Black racism and discrimination within the profession – go here.

10 Feb - Visit RNAO’s In Focus page on Black Nurses – go here.

2 Feb - Let’s not play Russian roulette with Omicron and embrace it as inevitable – go here.

2 Feb - RNAO calls out extremist and hateful actions driven by far-right on display in Ottawa – go here.

2 Feb - Honouring Black History Month 2022 – go here.

26 Jan - Listening to internationally educated nurses living in Ontario and eager to nurse – go here.

26 Jan - RNAO’s letter to the College of Nurses of Ontario regarding IENs – go here.

26 Jan - Prioritize health system pressures ahead of lifting public health measures – go here.

18 Jan - TousAntiCovid - France's contact tracing tool and health pass – go here.

18 Jan - RNAO’s submission to the Toronto Board of Health on return to school – go here.

12 Jan - A message as we begin 2022 amid a fifth wave – go here.

12 Jan - A health system on the verge of total collapse – An open letter to Premier Doug Ford – go here.

12 Jan - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The December 2021 report – go here.

12 Jan - Canada isn’t responding with foresight when it comes to COVID-19 – go here.

We have posted earlier ones in my blog here. I invite you to look.