Former RNAO president David McNeil will become the president and new CEO for the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) on Dec. 10. For 17 years, he has been VP and chief nursing executive for Health Sciences North in Sudbury. In his new role, McNeil will oversee the operation of two hospitals within BCHS: the Brantford General Hospital and The Willett Hospital in Paris, Ont. “I’m honoured and excited about the opportunity,” McNeil says. “I look forward to meeting the staff, physicians, volunteers, patient and family representatives, as well as the community broadly. Together, we will set the priorities and directions for BCHS and the people we serve.” 

McNeil served as RNAO’s president from 2010 to 2012. He also co-chaired an RNAO-led provincial task force in 2014 that identified barriers and enablers affecting recruitment and retention of RNs, NPs and RPNs in rural, remote and northern Ontario communities, and proposed recommendations for a more sustainable workforce.

A new multimedia project called The Opioid Chapters is providing a platform for sharing the experiences of people affected by the opioid crisis in Ontario. Launched in September by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network and Healthy Debate, the project highlights the human side of the crisis rather than focusing on statistics. The project uses video, audio, photographs and text to tell the stories of 11 individuals, some who rely on prescription opioids to manage pain, as well as health-care workers grappling with the epidemic. Among the individuals featured is a man who lost his wife after she took an accidental lethal dose of prescription fentanyl, and a man who found prescription opioids provided the only pain relief he could find for his back injury. The project also showcases the work of a community outreach and addictions counselor who says more funding is needed for health care for this population, especially emergency services. To read, watch or hear more stories, visit theopioidchapters.com.

A short film by RNAO member Natania Abebe has won the Take5 Storytelling Contest, organized by a U.S.-based organization with ties to Lucasfilm in San Francisco. The contest was created in August to solicit stories on gender inequality, and efforts to bridge the gap between genders. Abebe won for her film submission called Just a Nurse, which delves into how many nurses are not regarded as experts or leaders because of their gender. The film stresses how gender inequality has affected the nursing profession, including reinforcing stereotypes such as the “sexy nurse,” which can lead to sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace. “If we don’t discuss (gender inequality) now, we are losing our chance to foster future leaders who could shape health care,” writes Abebe in an online post. Watch her winning submission here. 
 
 

As many as 578 elementary school students from Windsor and Essex County face possible suspensions this fall. “These are students with incomplete or out-of-date immunization records,” says Stacy Manzerolle, manager of the healthy schools department for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. “They may be missing a booster shot or they may be missing information from their records.” A total of nine immunizations are required for students, including: tetanus, polio, measles and mumps. Meeting the immunization standards has been a requirement for families dating back to provincial legislation that was first introduced in 1990, says Manzerolle. “Our mandate is to review the records and ensure children and infants have received their vaccines for preventable diseases,” she adds. “We want to make sure we do what we can to help people comply with this. In some cases, it’s just a situation where the family doctors just need to send the immunization records to the health unit.” (Windsor Star, Sept. 19)
 

Sudbury’s Health Sciences North (HSN) opened a new child-friendly treatment room on the NEO Kids pediatric unit in September. The KICX for Kids Club House Room was opened as a space to perform various invasive procedures, and was thanks to a partnership with HSN’s NEO Kids Foundation, which raises funds for children’s health needs in the North, and the KICX for Kids Campaign by a local radio station. “The clinical team wants the patient rooms (separate from the treatment room) to be procedure free so they can remain a calm, safe environment for children,” says Carolyn Marshall, nurse clinician for NEO Kids NICU and pediatrics. She adds the new treatment space will “comfortably accommodate patients, their family members, and treatment staff with medical supplies and equipment that will no longer be in plain view.” It also includes a family seating area, child-friendly furniture, a mural, two television screens, twinkle lights, and creative décor to make medical equipment and supplies less intimidating for children. (The Sudbury Star, Sept. 21)
 

RN and palliative pain and symptom management consultant Kim Rogers helped to make end-of-life a little easier to talk about thanks to an annual education series called Completing Life’s Journey in the Haldimand Norfolk Community. Celebrating its second year, the education series, which was organized by Rogers in partnership with other health professionals, covered topics such as hospice palliative care, medical assistance in dying (MAID), and the legal aspects of health care. The series took place throughout September and October. “(As a society)…palliative care is something we don’t talk about. It’s something that we need to talk about; whether for ourselves (or) our family,” Rogers says. “It’s something that will eventually affect everyone.” One of the challenges, however, is the lack of palliative care in certain areas of the province. “The availability of palliative care depends very strongly on where you live,” explains Rogers. A lot of people  do not know what resources are out there. She hopes the annual education series will allow more people to become aware of what’s available to them in the community. To find out more, visit seniorsupport.ca (The Sachem, Aug. 30) 
 

In response to the Ontario government’s announcement in October to spend $90-million this year to fund hospital beds ahead of flu season, RNAO President Angela Cooper Brathwaite spoke to CBC News about how the move does little to solve hallway health care. “Beds don’t take care of patients. They need health-care professionals. They need more nurses,” Brathwaite says, adding that Ontario has the fewest RNs per population compared to the rest of the country. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott announced the government will fund 1,100 beds, 640 of which are new and will add surge capacity during flu season. However, RNAO says the government should be focusing on funding permanent, full-time RNs to ensure the continuity of care patients need and deserve. RNAO is also urging the province not just to focus on hallway health care, but also on the importance of primary care and home care to promote health and prevent disease. (CBC News, Oct. 3)