Welcome to my Sunday, November 21 blog. This week we share: (1) nurses gather in Toronto to rally – a recap of the #RepealBill124 rally; (2) an infectious disease doctor explains why we should not hesitate to vaccinate children who are 5 and older; and (3) vaccine injustice: rich countries only shared 14% of COVID-19 vaccine doses promised to poorer nations. Scroll down for policy updates and action alerts, as well as six RNAO webinars this week!

Welcome to our Sunday, November 14 report. This week we share: (1) Join us at the rally to repeal Bill 124 on Sunday, November 14 at noon; (2) Ontario nurses discuss the crisis in the profession during RNAO’s Fall Tour, which builds on (3) RNAO’s just released political action bulletin on Ontario’s RN understaffing crisis: Impact and solution; and (4) nurses celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week and call for scope expansion to improve access for Ontarians. Scroll down for policy updates and action alerts, as well as RNAO’s upcoming webinars.

Throughout the month of October, RNAO continued to speak to the media about the impact COVID-19 is having on nurses and other health-care workers. Specifically, we spoke about the vaccine mandate for long-term care (LTC) workers and the urgent need to extend it to all health-care workers across all health sectors, the Ontario government’s worrisome reopening plan, and our urgent call to repeal Bill 124. Below is a summary of themes and examples of our extensive media exposure in October.

Welcome to our Saturday, November 6 report. This week we share: (1) Join us at the rally for climate emergency action today, Saturday Nov. 6, at 1:00 pm; (2) Join us at the rally to repeal Bill 124 on Sunday, November 14; (3) RNAO’s disappointment with Premier Ford’s decision not to mandate vaccination for all health-care workers; (4) Ontario’s economic statement signals government’s concerns with nursing human resources; and (5) RNAO’s October media report. Scroll down for policy updates and action alerts, as well as RNAO’s upcoming webinars.

Welcome to our Saturday, October 30 report. Join the Nov. 6 rally for climate emergency action, and the Nov. 14 rally organized by @NurseWithSign to call for the repeal of Bill 124. An update on the federal court ruling on Indigenous child welfare compensation. This week we share articles on: (1) Hospitals ‘bleeding out’ as nursing shortage intensifies; and (2) The Lancet calls for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health. Scroll down for RNAO’s upcoming webinars.

Facebook and other social media platforms spread massive misinformation and bear huge responsibility for the urgent threat to public health raised by the U.S. Surgeon General. This is a July 29 article by Anjana Susarla, Omura-Saxena Professor of Responsible AI at Michigan State University.

Misinformation is an urgent public health threat – and also a threat to democracy and values of social justice. In July, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued the first Surgeon General's Advisory of this Administration to warn the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation.

RNAO issued the following media release in response to the Ontario government’s reopening plan.