July / August 2018

Kingston chapter participated in their local Pride parade. 

Premier Doug Ford announced in July that Ontario students will be taught the province’s 20-year-old sexual education curriculum in the coming school year. RNAO president Angela Cooper Brathwaite says the decision may put children at risk.

Following an August announcement that the provincial government will review the evidence on supervised injection services (SIS) and overdose prevention sites to see if they are worth continuing, Ontario nurses are concerned the move is a step in the wrong direction.

In response to a column by André Picard in The Globe and Mail about recent changes to OHIP+, RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun warns in a July 6 letter that relying on the private insurance plans of Ontarians will come at a hefty price. 

The Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry follows the conviction of former registered nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer for the murders of eight elderly patients under her care.

Although U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 20 to keep migrant families together (following weeks of separating children from their parents at the border), Toronto NP Emmet O’Reilly and his wife Hilary Evans Cameron know more needs to be done.

Whether it’s supportive companionship at the bedside, or laughter-filled visits, volunteers at the Bridge Hospice in Quinte are special, and they were honoured for their work at the organization’s annual general meeting in July.

For Jamie Anne Bentz, a registered nurse in the neonatal unit at Ottawa’s Queensway Carleton Hospital, performing is more than just a pastime: it is a passion. When Bentz is not taking care of patients, the Braeside-raised country singer/songwriter performs at venues throughout Ottawa.

Thanks to an aging and dementia simulation, hosted in June by the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region and the Niagara Health System (NHS), nursing student Jessica Foisey and other Ontarians experienced the world in much the same way an older adult with dementia and other health conditions might.