Concerned nurses and members of the public gathered in Sudbury on Nov. 12 for a town hall meeting hosted by the Ontario Health Coalition. RNAO member emeritus Dot Klein, head of the Sudbury Health Coalition, says she has seen a lot of change in the health system over four decades as a nurse, but never “the level of care we have here now.” The ruling practice in hospitals, she says, is to “…get the job done for the least amount of money.” This leaves RNs vulnerable to budget cuts. Health Sciences North (HSN) has cut positions at the hospital this year. “This is unsafe and puts both patients and staff at risk,” says Klein. The hospital is always running at more than 110 per cent capacity, she adds. In November, RNAO responded to a Canadian Institute for Health information (CIHI) report that found Ontario is the second-lowest per capita spender on hospitals in Canada (see more in Policy, page 22). On Dec. 11, hospital spokesperson Jason Turnbull announced that after several months of working with unions, retirement incentives, attrition and other measures, there are “no plans for a further round of layoffs at HSN.” (The Sudbury Star, Nov. 13)