Nursing Week is the annual celebration of our profession that always coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, on May 12. This year, it will be held May 10 to 16 and RNAO will be celebrating with the theme Protecting Ontarians and Leading Change: Nurses and RNAO during COVID-19. RNAO is proud to recognize all nurses for the quality of care they provide to patients, clients and long-term care residents. From the bedside to the classroom and the boardroom, nurses make Ontario, our country and the world a healthier place.

The World Health Organization has proclaimed 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers to express gratitude for their unwavering dedication in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure all health workers are supported, protected, motivated and equipped to deliver safe health care at all times.

As we battle a relentless and stubborn third wave of COVID-19 driven by dangerous variants, RNAO continues to speak out on the pandemic and its impact on nurses, other health-care workers and Ontarians. Here is the April media report.

On April 30, the Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission released its final report. RNAO has followed the work of the Commission, met more than once with the commissioners and contributed substantially to their work. Here is RNAO’s media release in response to the Commission’s final report.

RNAO is deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of registered nurse Lorraine Gouveia who died after contracting COVID-19.

The Ontario government owes an apology to the families of the 3,758 long-term care (LTC) residents lost to COVID-19 and to the staff that valiantly cared for them under deplorable conditions – including 11 who lost their own lives in the line of duty.

The Ontario government issued on April 21 an emergency order addressing regulated health professions in hospitals (here). The College of Nurses (CNO) has provided a message here and and update here. Under this new government order, health professionals from Ontario or other Canadian jurisdictions – including nurses – are authorized to engage outside of their regular scope of practice provided that doing so is necessary in order for the health care professional to respond to, prevent, or alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. This new order applies only to health professionals working in hospitals.

RNAO’s Policy Department, under the direction of Matt Kellway, in partnership with our Communications and IT departments, is in the process of launching a brand-new policy website that will substantially enhance our outstanding policy work.

The federal government's budget contains progressive measures that address social determinants of health such as child care, affordable housing, infrastructure funding for Indigenous communities and a $15 minimum wage. It also pledges to continue programs that have lessened the socio-economic impacts resulting from the pandemic, especially on those most vulnerable. It does not move fast enough on national standards for long-term care (LTC) and offers no progress for a national pharmacare program.

With the musings in the media a few days ago that the Ford government was discussing paid sick days, we at the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) issued a statement urging the provincial government to move immediately with paid sick days and disclose the details.