RNAO Updates

Dear colleagues, the time has come to put to rest my COVID-19 blog. My profound gratitude to the millions of nurses and other health workers at home, abroad and everywhere who have dedicated themselves selflessly to the service of others. I extend huge gratitude and admiration to our tremendous RNAO staff and our board of directors. We have worked non-stop to support those in need – whether members, the media, the public, health organizations or patients and their loved ones.

Welcome to my Tuesday, April 19 blog. 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. Scroll down for Action Alerts and upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Monday, April 4 blog. This week we share: 1) Save the date for RNAO’s 97th Annual General Meeting: June 9 – 11, 2022; 2) RNAO’s ongoing media profile – the February and March 2022 report; and 3) an article on social media as a public health crisis, calling to treat it like one. Scroll down for Action Alerts and upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Monday, March 28 blog. This week we share: 1) Media release: RNAO applauds federal Liberal/NDP partnership to improve health and wellbeing of Canadians; 2) Omicron BA.2 subvariant becoming dominant, representing potential risk; and 3) RNAO sends letter to Ontario political parties on systemic racism against Black nurses. Scroll down for Action Alerts and upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Friday, March 11 blog. This week we share: 1) RNAO commemorates the #NationalDayOfObservance marking two years of pandemic; 2) calling registered nurses and nurse practitioners to volunteer for mission to help Ukraine; 3) CMAT and RNAO members depart to Poland – how you can help their urgent appeal; 4) RNAO says Ontario’s decision to drop mask mandate puts politics ahead of science, risking gains made; and 5) persisting with masks after vaccination has major economic, health benefits, Lancet study says. Scroll down for Action Alerts and upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Friday, February 25 blog. This week we share: 1) RNAO held its Queen’s Park Day on Feb 24; 2) RNAO released its 2022 provincial election platform; 3) Black and Indigenous protesters are treated differently than the ‘convoy’ because of Canada’s ongoing racism and 4) finding solutions for Canada’s alt-right radicalization. Scroll down for upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Wednesday, February 16 blog. This week we share: 1) Register now: Queen’s Park Day is coming up on Feb 24; 2) Ontario government must maintain key public health measures to address catastrophic surgical backlog, says RNAO; 3) restoring community dialogue and resilience for the next COVID-19 emergency; and 4) a better post-pandemic future means not giving in to COVID-19 now. Scroll down for upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Thursday, February 10 blog. This week we share: 1) RNAO’s In Focus page on Black Nurses; 2) report calling for an end to anti-Black systemic racism and discrimination within the nursing profession; 3) the shocking siege of Ottawa by anti-mandate truckers and why the whole world should be terribly worried; and 4) whose freedom is the ‘freedom convoy’ fighting for anyway? Scroll down for upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Wednesday, February 2 blog. This week we share: 1) honouring Black History Month 2022; 2) RNAO calls out extremist and hateful actions driven by far-right on display in Ottawa; and 3) let's not play Russian roulette with Omicron and embrace it as inevitable. Scroll down for upcoming RNAO webinars.

Welcome to my Wednesday, January 26 blog. This week we share: 1) Listening to internationally educated nurses (IENs) living in Ontario and eager to work in our health system; 2) RNAO’s letter to the College of Nurses of Ontario regarding IENs; and 3) RNAO’s response to the government’s plan to start lifting public health measures soon. Scroll down for upcoming RNAO webinars.