Conversations with Members

On May 28, we marched to Queen’s Park with a large and vocal group of care providers, families and concerned Ontarians to demand funding for supervised consumption services (SCS) sites across Ontario. Many of those involved were driven by first-hand personal and/or professional experiences that prove SCS saves lives.

Over the years, I have heard many funny anecdotes from members about the curious places they have found their RNAO pin. In the fridge. In the garden. Inside a potted plant. At the bottom of a purse used previously. And, of course, in the washing machine pinned to scrubs.  

Many years ago, I learned that when people are successful in the Chinese culture, they often contribute back through services that benefit the whole community.

The positive energy and enthusiasm at this year’s five-day International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress – hosted in partnership with the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) in early July – was palpable. More people gathered and chatted in the venue hallways than I’ve seen ever before.

Since I last wrote to you, dear members, a lot has changed in the health-care landscape. In January, the Ontario government announced a plan that will undermine our public health system – directing public funds and surgeries to for-profit clinics in our province. 

Since RNAO’s last Annual General Meeting in June, we have received emails from a handful of members expressing concern that Premier Doug Ford had been invited. Although few among the many emails RNAO gets every year complimenting our work and efforts, they flagged an apparent need for clarity.

When I joined RNAO as executive director in April 1996, our association was not engaged in advocacy about the impact environmental and social determinants of health have on people’s lives and health outcomes. Although we had some amazing role models in nursing, RNAO as a whole was sitting on the sidelines.

We have now finalized many engaging and user-friendly changes to the RNAO website – live and available for all to explore. One fundamental update is the addition of a new In Focus feature. This is much more than just a change to existing content.

Ontario is now in the throes of a fourth wave of COVID-19, driven by an aggressive Delta variant with unvaccinated or partially vaccinated persons, often younger, being hospitalized and admitted to ICUs.

As I write this column, I think about how much nurses and other health-care workers have given to our province. I think about how many hours we all owed back, at some point, to our families. And I think about the lives lost, including those of our own loved ones.