I am extremely humbled and honoured to share that I was the recipient this week of The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) COVID-19 Courage Award on Policy. These awards “honor the incredible contributions nurses, have made to save lives, advance health equity, and protect communities during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.” Colleagues, I dedicate this award to you all.

RNAO continues to speak out in the media about issues related to COVID-19 and our calls to the Ontario and federal governments for action regarding the alarming rise in the pandemic wave. This month, we focused primarily on two key issues: tightening restrictions in regional hotspots to slow the spread of the virus, and addressing the renewed and predictable crisis in long-term care (an issue we’ve been pushing for months – and years!). The RNAO COVID-19 press room has links to 42 media hits so far in the month of October.

In our report last week we confronted the fact that patient-centred care can be a reality or a dream. RNAO’s work with Ontario Health Teams on person-and-family centred-care was at the centre of a BPSO OHT four hour meeting a few weeks ago, and here we have another glimpse, arising from that meeting, on what person-and-family-centred care looks like from the field. The following is a contribution from Judy Smith, who shares a story about her mother-in-law Reta.

As our readers are aware, RNAO has been at the forefront of the demand to establish national standards in LTC, given the failure of provincial governments to act – for two decades – and the tragedy brought by the pandemic as a result. This week, RNAO wrote again to the prime minister and to Premier Doug Ford in anticipation of their meeting reiterating the urgency to establish standards. See the October 14 letter below.

RNAO’s work with Ontario Health Teams on person-and-family centred-care was at the centre of a BPSO OHT meeting two weeks ago. Please get a real glimpse of what person-and-family-centred care looks like from the field by reading the two contributions shared below from a caregiver and a health provider. The first one, by Mik Phipps, is a glimpse into person-centred-care at its best – and how small actions can have enormous meaning. The second, contributed by Helen Lascelle, shares an experience where patient-centred-care was a dream, not a reality.

RNAO has been increasingly alarmed at the rise of cases and the timid measures advanced by the Ontario government to flatten the second wave. Simply said, the later we act, the larger the price we will pay – both in illness, death, an overwhelmed healthcare system, and in economic costs. This is a basic lesson we learned during the first wave, and we are extremely worried. Today, RNAO issued a press release, reproduced below. We have also been intensively in the media making a call for immediate action. Our presence is also being felt in Twitter.

Wednesday’s federal Throne Speech was an important policy moment in Canada. Please see below RNAO’s press release issued after the Speech. RNAO was successful in achieving two major asks in our Vision for A Just Recovery for All: 1) the federal government will work with the provinces and territories to set National Standards for Long-Term Care (LTC) so that seniors get the best support possible, with funding attached to those standards, and 2) strengthening the National Housing Strategy announced in 2017 by increasing investments to rapid housing in the short term, and partnering with not-for-profits and co-ops in the mid- to long-term. The commitment is to end chronic homelessness.

Today our focus is on Cuba, a Caribbean island with about 11 million population and a very different economic and political regime. Canadians know Cuba well through their tourist visits – more than one million in 2019. Today, we are interested in a different facet of Cuban society – the community focus of its health system and their success, so far, in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. There are important insights for us in Ontario.

RNAO has decided it will not re-open the VIANurse program if another wave of COVID hits the province. VIANurse addressed an emergency in a province that was slow in responding to the pandemic, and thus played a vital role. The next waves of COVID should not be an emergency as we can prepare now.