The 10th annual Fall Tour, which took place Sept. 19 through Oct. 1, 2024, offered nurses and nursing students across the province an opportunity to chat one-on-one with RNAO’s president, immediate past-president and CEO.
Chapter, region and interest group members hosted visits to discuss pressing issues, such as the Ontario government’s announcement to close 10 supervised consumption services (SCS) sites and gut access to harm reduction, the importance of the NP role as 2.5 million Ontarians are without a primary care provider, environmental determinants of health, and more.
“The Fall Tour provides members – RNs, NPs and nursing students – with the opportunity to engage amongst colleagues, share ideas and tackle issues related to their practice and the health system, as well as hear directly from the top leaders of their professional association,” says RNAO President NP Lhamo Dolkar, who writes about her Fall Tour visits in her column.
Immediate Past-President Dr. Claudette Holloway says it’s important to hear what members have to say about “the broad range of issues and achievements that have had an impact on their lives.” It helps both RNAO’s executive and members at large to discuss what we can do together to better meet the needs of Ontarians, she adds.
Nurses play an important role and know our health system inside and out, so we know the solutions that will have the greatest impact, RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun says. Our members “provide vital insight every day on healthy public policy. To make improvements in our health system, we must better understand – together – the issues facing communities across Ontario and come up with solutions that have a real impact on people’s individual and collective health.”
At the London InterCommunity Health Centre on Sept. 19, RNAO President and NP Lhamo Dolkar (centre, right) met with Middlesex-Elgin Chapter members, including chapter chair Janet Hunt (second from left) and local health-care providers to discuss their work and the challenges they experience, including heavy workloads and low nursing wages. The group also discussed access to health care for refugees and asylum seekers.
Also on Sept. 19, Dolkar (centre, in red) travelled to Windsor to visit with members of the Windsor-Essex Chapter and the Community Health Nurses’ Initiatives Group. She discussed harm reduction and RNAO’s advocacy to stop the closure of 10 SCS sites. Chapter chair Kathy Moreland (in light green) spoke about her family’s experience with SCS and the urgent need to continue harm reduction programs to save lives and keep the door open to treatment and recovery.
In Kingston, RNAO Immediate Past-President Dr. Claudette Holloway (top right) met with local chapter members and staff from Kingston Health Sciences Centre to discuss its participation in the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) program. The team of nurses and other care providers are implementing best practice guidelines focused on delirium, dementia and depression, as well as pressure injuries. They shared details about the impact of BPGs on the organization.
RNAO’s Ontario Nurses for the Environment Interest Group (ONEIG), chaired by Rob Samulack (top row, second from left), hosted its Fall Tour and Annual General Meeting virtually on Sept. 23 with CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun (top left). Discussion focused on ONEIG’s work to combat the climate crisis and advocate for just climate health policies, including a continued focus on supporting the use of green energy and recognizing that climate change is an immediate threat to human and all species' health.
Holloway (top left) met virtually on Sept. 24 with RNAO’s International Nursing Interest Group (INIG) and the Durham, Kawartha-Victoria and Quinte Chapters. Among the participants: INIG chair Rose Yamomo (third row, left), Region 8 board representative Kathleen Pikaart (top row, third from left), Interest Groups board representative Dr. Edward Cruz (bottom row, left), and RNAO past-president Dr. Angela Cooper Brathwaite (second row, left). The group shared concerns that Ontario will close 10 SCS sites. They also touched on the challenges of gender-affirming care and strategies to better help people who are experiencing homelessness and mental health issues in their communities.
At St Joseph’s Health Centre in Guelph on Sept. 24, Grinspun (second from right) met with Wellington Chapter members, including chapter chair Helen Tindale (second from left). The group toured the facility, then sat down for more detailed discussions touching on the rights of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, the advantages of RN prescribing and the critical need to save lives with harm reduction and accessible SCS sites.
Dolkar (top left) met virtually with members of the Waterloo Chapter on Sept. 25 to discuss the overdose crisis, the stigma around harm reduction and the Ontario government’s announcement to close SCS sites across the province. Dolkar shared tips on effective ways to speak out and be politically active in one’s community, which she says ensures nurses’ voices are heard on these and other important issues.
During her final visit on Sept. 26, Grinspun (top right) met online with Region 7 – Toronto East. Region chair Selvi Baijnauth (top row, middle) and board representative Sonia Chin (second row, middle) participated alongside other members who shared views on RN understaffing, psychotherapy and moving from nursing to politics. Grinspun shared an update on membership growth over the years and offered insight on some of the newest initiatives RNAO is leading.
During her meeting with the Algoma Chapter executive on Sept. 27, Dolkar (right) heard about the challenges of delivering health care in remote northern locations and the importance of having NPs in family practice. Chapter chair Adrienne Kappes (left) inquired about membership engagement strategies for northern chapters, seeking advice on effective ways to push for membership growth in the north.
The Nursing Students of Ontario hosted an online Fall Tour visit with Holloway (bottom left) on Sept. 27. Chair Stephanie Pialis (top left) led discussions about the immediate past-president’s nursing career, some of her tips for becoming more politically active, and strategies to avoid burnout. Holloway also talked about students becoming leaders at RNAO and in their own communities and schools.
During her final Fall Tour visit on Oct. 1, Dolkar (top left) met with RNAO’s Black Nurses Leading Change interest group and Region 10 board representative Dania Versailles (top right) to share details of the association’s continued focus on equity, diversity and inclusion in its work. Discussion revolved around how to address anti-Black racism and discrimination in the nursing profession. The group also touched on strategies to tackle systemic racism and the nursing crisis across the province.