We got started! I was so happy to be with so many of you – nurses and friends of nurses, starting yesterday evening, at our virtual Annual General Meeting taking place from June 11-13, 2020. We are excited to engage with you in this new format in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s continue to celebrate the Year of the Nurse and the formidable work of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in such unprecedented times.

Our plea for action to safeguard the safety of residents in LTC continues. We have all been in shock at the tragedy that has befallen so many of our elders due to systemic neglect and faulty policies that have been going for too long. RNAO issued last week a new report summarizing two decades of reports, inquiry and commission – and calling on the government to take action, not engage in more study and deliberation.

RNAO continues pushing with determination to make things better in long-term care in Ontario. We have all been in shock at the tragedy that has befallen so many of our elders due to systemic neglect and faulty policies that have been going for too long. RNAO issued last week a new report summarizing two decades of reports, inquiry and commission – and calling on the government to take action, not engage in more study and deliberation.

Colleagues, on Tuesday I wrote that I can’t let go of the image of George Floyd gasping for air and pleading for his life – “I can’t breathe.” And as I said, that image evokes the immense brutality, insanity and terror brought about by anti-Black racism and all forms of systemic racism in our midst. RNAO released a statement that I am reproducing in full below. I am also encouraging our readers to take action and vocally speak this weekend, and always, against anti-Black racism and all forms of hate, discrimination, prejudice and violence.

RNAO mourns the death of George Floyd and all those who have succumbed to anti-Black racism and violence. RNAO stands together with sisters and brothers who continue to suffer the scourge of anti-Black racism and discrimination everywhere. RNAO unequivocally condemns racism, oppression and discrimination in all forms. In light of recent atrocities in the United States, Canada and around the world, we stand in solidarity with the loved ones of those who have suffered at the hands of law enforcement and those who experience gross inequities because of the colour of their skin.

The following is an article that a group of us co-authored, published in the Toronto Star on May 29. As we mobilize all the health care resources we can to combat COVID-19, we cannot take our eyes off the overdose crisis. The improved health and fiscal savings, which have been demonstrated through wraparound safer drug supply programs, cannot be ignored.

We very much look forward to seeing you all very soon at our virtual Annual General Meeting taking place from June 11-13, 2020. We are excited to engage with you in this new format in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the physical distancing requirements across Ontario. Let’s continue to celebrate the Year of the Nurse and the formidable work of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in such unprecedented times.

Press release: RNAO is calling on the government to take immediate and concrete action to address the long-standing shortfalls in long-term care (LTC) homes made blatantly evident in the Canadian Armed Forces’ report. Rather than only relying on a future commission, the immediate step is to start implementing the recommendations from past inquiries and commissions, starting with the report on the adequacy of regulated staffing in LTC due on July 31. This is a requirement in the 2019 recommendations of The Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry.

Questions, webinars and contacts for nurses providing foot care services.