Letter to the editor
Angela Cooper Brathwaite, RNAO immediate past-president and co-chair of the association’s Anti-Black Racism Task Force, writes a letter to the Brampton Guardian (July 9) about systemic racism in Canada’s health-care system. The letter is in response to news that Leonard Rodriques, a PSW who passed away from COVID-19, was reluctant to seek medical help because he feared he would be treated differently because he was Black.
The litany of health-system failures that contributed to the death of Leonard Rodriques, and subjected his family to untold grief and loss, can only be understood as manifestations of a health-care system deeply rooted in systemic racism. That Mr. Rodriques was reluctant to seek medical help because he feared he would be treated differently because he was Black is telling in itself. The treatment Mr. Rodriques received must be a wake-up call, and RNAO is calling for a coroner’s investigation into his death. In Ontario, a coroner may become involved when concerns are raised regarding the care provided to an individual prior to death.
There are multiple questions that must be answered: Why wasn’t he provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) in his workplace when it was known other workers had been infected? Why was he discharged from hospital even though he was a health-care worker who worked at a facility experiencing an outbreak, and was obviously suffering from symptoms? Why didn’t an ambulance show up when the family called 911? Why was the family left to deal with his body in such a disgraceful way after he died in his sleep at home? Why was he cremated against his family’s wishes?
As nurses, we send our deepest condolences to his wife Dorothy, to whom he was married for 33 years, and to his children Terena and Temall. We also thank them for the courage to speak out. We know of others who have had similar experiences, and fear speaking out.
Racism permeates every aspect of our society and its institutions, including health care. Combatting it requires substantive and sustained efforts to ensure structural and behavioural changes. Answering vital questions about the death of Mr. Rodriques is a good starting point. Calling a coroner’s inquest into his death is the first step.
RNAO is also doing its part, committed to cleaning up our own backyard within the nursing profession. This is why we are launching a task force to tackle anti-Black racism within the profession.
RNAO’s #TogetherWeCanDoIt campaign gains huge momentum
To show their support for nurses and other frontline workers fighting COVID-19, people from Ontario and across Canada are cheering them on every night at 7:30 p.m. local time. As part of the #TogetherWeCanDoIt campaign to #Cheer4HealthWorkers – spearheaded by RNAO’s Susan McNeil, staff, board, assembly and general members – and by now – the public at large – people are sharing videos on Twitter and Facebook of themselves banging pots and pans, singing, honking and clapping from their places of isolation, whether a front porch, deck, a balcony or through a window. RNAO’s Region 4 board representative Anita Tsang-Sit banged a pot while commending nursing colleagues and other health-care professionals during the outbreak. “Thank you to health-care superheroes who risk their lives for us every day,” she said in her Twitter video. RNAO Interest Groups representative Julie Rubel also participated, saying in her Twitter video: “We just want to say thank you. We’ll be out here every night at 7:30.” RNAO encourages everyone to take part while also keeping in mind safe social distancing (maintaining at least two metres of distance between you and others). To see how others are cheering on frontline workers, visit RNAO on Twitter and Facebook, and search the hashtags #Cheer4HealthWorkers and #TogetherWeCanDoIt.
NPs to the rescue
Amidst a doctor shortage in Simcoe County, near Lake Erie, NP Janet Calwell is helping patients who do not have a primary care provider. She has been seeing patients at the South Georgian Bay Community Health Centre since Jan. 14, and will continue to provide care until a new physician is recruited to the community. NPs can do a lot to fill the gap in care, she says. “We do labs, we do pap smears, diagnosing and reordering medications, so there are a lot of needs that we can fill for the area.” Simcoe County is not alone in managing the thousands of patients without a primary care practitioner, also called orphan patients, Calwell says. In fact, NPs in Perth, southwest of Ottawa, are also being utilized to help orphaned patients. Michelle Bellows, chief executive officer of Rideau Community Health Services, says patients are equally comfortable with a nurse practitioner as they are with a doctor. “(NPs are) fully autonomous. They don’t have to report to doctors,” says Bellows. (CTV News Barrie, Jan. 7, and Perth Courier, Jan. 13)
Nursing shortage impacts emergency care
An ongoing nursing shortage at the Chelsey site of South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC) has led to a reduction in hours for the hospital’s emergency department, which has gone from 24/7 coverage to a 12-hour schedule (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.). The new schedule will be in place until positions can be filled, says interim chief nursing officer Lynn Bos, who is recruiting RNs, but says they need more senior RNs with emergency department experience. “We have had some success recruiting new nurses in the last couple of months, however, these nurses are new graduates or have limited (emergency) experience,” she says. The situation at SBGHC is not unique as hospitals in rural communities often face challenges recruiting and retaining RNs. Nurses are required to develop a high degree of competency in a number of clinical domains and specialties, Bos suggests, and new graduates can often be unprepared to work in a rural setting without significant orientation and mentorship. (Owen Sound Sun Times, Jan. 8)
Opioid crisis in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay continues to grapple with a number of deaths due to the opioid crisis, and advocates are calling for action. NP Josh Fraser, who says he has saved more lives from overdoses than he can count, says there are “…a lot of potentially contaminated drugs that are causing harm to people.” In the first six months of 2019, government statistics estimate 95 per cent of nearly 1,000 opioid-related deaths in Ontario were accidental. The NorWest Community Health Centre supervised injection site, where Fraser works, has joined a wider call by the Alliance for Healthier Communities (AHC) – a network of community governed health-care providers – asking the federal government to address contaminated drugs in the illicit market, and provide a safe supply for opioid users. AHC has submitted a budget proposal to the provincial government, advocating for a safer supply. Advocates like Fraser would like to see action sooner rather than later. (CBC Radio, Jan. 8)
Fight flu the right way
Those with loved ones in the hospital can play an important role in keeping them healthy, writes Natalie Bubela, CEO and chief nurse for Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAH). “If you’re visiting a friend or family member, or if you’re coming in for an outpatient test or procedure, it’s important to follow basic infection prevention principles – especially during flu season,” writes Bubela in her regular blog for MAH, reprinted by MuskokaRegion.com. The best way to not get the flu is to get your flu shot from your nurse practitioner or family doctor, a public health nurse, or at a local pharmacy, Bubela writes, noting those at higher risk of getting sick are over 65, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions, and those with compromised immune systems. Clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer, put on a mask if you have a new or worsening cough, and sneeze or cough into your elbow, she recommends. (Jan. 13)
On-reserve NP a first
For the first time ever, Sudbury’s Wahnapitae First Nation has hired a full-time NP. “There was always a health centre here, and they did have some nurse practitioners who would come out on a contract basis,” says Rebecca Foreshew, the new primary care NP who will serve the community located within the city boundaries of Greater Sudbury. Foreshew previously worked at Health Sciences North and is now practising out of the reserve’s Norman Recollet Health Centre. She collaborates with the centre’s foot-care nurse and community wellness worker. “I’m the only nurse practitioner and there is no collaborating physician,” she explains. “You don’t necessarily need a collaborating physician, except when you need to order a CT or MRI, but a lot of the time the patient would be under specialist care at that point anyway.” Foreshew, who is originally from Sudbury, has experience working in Indigenous health. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working in remote and rural communities, and I think my end goal was always to work on a reserve,” she says. (The Sudbury Star, Nov. 4)
COVID-19
On March 17, the Ontario government declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19. A week later, it ordered non-essential businesses to close in order to limit the spread of the virus. RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun, who has participated in daily teleconferences and other high-level meetings with the health ministry since January, had been urging these actions for weeks. Grinspun has also been urging the public to stay home and practise social distancing. “That is the only way we can slow the spread…and flatten the curve, so that the system doesn’t crumble in front of us,” she said (see various media interviews HERE). Communication has been vital at this challenging time, and Grinspun has been sending daily update reports to all members, Best Practice Spotlight Organizations (BPSO), and other stakeholder groups with up-to-the-minute information from local, national and international sources. These updates are now being offered on a blog. RNAO has also mobilized RNs, NPs and nursing students’ knowledge and skills to confront the outbreak through VIANurse.
Wellington chapter welcomes CEO
RNAO’s Wellington Chapter President Heather Sutcliffe was one of several members to speak with Rogers TV for its coverage of the association’s Fall Tour stop in Guelph Oct. 30. The tour, she says, which is now in its fifth year, is a great way to meet with members and hear from RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun, who was invited to discuss nursing and health issues chapter members feel are most relevant for their community. “It was really important for me to be here…to listen to the CEO of our organization talk about the influence and impact that RNAO has in our rapidly changing health system,” she says. RNAO Region 4 board representative Anita Tsang-Sit also appeared on the broadcast, saying the tour is an opportunity for RNAO executive to update on its ongoing advocacy work. It allows board members “…to go out to the community and get to know our nursing colleagues: registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students.” (Oct. 30)
Find out more about the other Fall Tour stops at RNJ.RNAO.ca/falltour
Nurse comes to the rescue
When Ottawa runner Rob Meredith collapsed in front of the U.S. Embassy with a little more than five kilometres left in his half marathon, Cornwall NP Marian Watt knew she needed to help. “I saw this gentleman across the street and he looked quite wobbly. He appeared to be leaning on a garbage can and he had difficulty standing up,” Watt recalls. After calling a police officer to come, she rushed to help him, encouraging him to remain calm as he fought to stay conscious. “What I remember very starkly was a very wonderful voice and a very calming influence who said: ‘We’re going to get you help, you’re going to be OK,’” Meredith says. Turns out he was suffering from severe dehydration and was overheated. Watt stayed with him until the ambulance arrived, and Meredith says he won’t soon forget what she did. About two months after the event, the pair reunited and Meredith introduced Watt to his wife and two sons. He thanked her again for giving him a new perspective in life, adding he is running again and plans to do a 10 kilometre race next year. “I think it’s wonderful to see Rob and how he’s put a positive spin on it,” Watt says. (CBC News, July 17)
