September / October 2018

I was born at Toronto’s Mount Sinai hospital in August 1995 with a lot of what society would refer to as ‘problems.’ But I like to think of my imperfections as awesome differences. I was born with a cleft palate, pectus carinatum (which causes my chest to bow outward), clubbed thumbs, ear deformities, and overlapping toes.

In August and September, representatives from RNAO were invited* to visit BPSOs in Negros, an island in the Philippines, and China. 

In October, RNAO released Assessment and Interventions for Perinatal Depression. This second edition BPG expands on the original, focusing not only on persons who suffer depression after giving birth, but also those affected while pregnant.

 RNAO members did some door knocking this fall, visiting the offices of MPPs, many of whom took office for the first time following the June provincial election.

RNAO welcomed the government’s long-awaited decision to allow sites offering supervised injection and overdose prevention services to continue operating.

The public hearing phase of the Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry wrapped up at the end of September. And it ended with a submission from RNAO highlighting significant systemic issues it says need to be addressed if the ministry of health wants to ensure seniors in nursing homes receive safe, quality care.

Just one of the many lessons Mireille “Mimi” Mitchell has taken to heart as an RN in the community and elsewhere.