CNA Shares Nursing's Priorites for Health Care with new Health Minister

President Barb Mildon meets with new federal minister of health, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, as she begins her mandate

CALGARY, Aug. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadian Nurses Association president Barb Mildon shared nursing's priorities for health care with Canada's new federal health minister today in a highly positive first meeting. Following an inspiring keynote speech from the Honourable Rona Ambrose at the Canadian Medical Association's (CMA) general council meeting today, CNA and the minister had a productive and candid discussion about opportunities for the federal role to improve the health of our nation and sustain our publicly funded health-care system.

"To hear Minister Ambrose's commitment to health-care transformation and her astute recognition that the federal government can act within the Canada Health Act to support efficiency and productivity was an encouraging sign for the nursing profession's priorities, such as keeping all Canadians well," said Mildon. "One opportunity to improve productivity is to ensure RNs, NPs and other health-care workers are working to optimal scopes of practice, as entry points to the health system, increasing Canadians' access to care when and where they need it."

The face-to-face discussion provided a great opportunity for CNA to speak openly about the need to continue the work underway to remove barriers that prevent nurse practitioners from practising to their full scopes of practice, to ensure health is considered in all federal policies, and to draw attention to the need to commit to improving Canada's global ranking on five indicator-based health goals. Mildon also spoke of the longstanding contribution of Health Canada's Office of Nursing Policy and how essential it is to have a strong nursing voice at the front end of policy discussions within the federal government.

"It was clear from this meeting that the minister is committed to adopting a collaborative approach in understanding the nursing priorities and she sees the importance of the federal government engaging with stakeholders and the provinces and territories in health-care transformation," Mildon said. She added that CNA looks forward to continuing the momentum started by this first meeting by working together to bring the nursing profession's expertise and innovation to advance policy priorities that will improve Canada's health-care system and the health of our nation.

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is the national professional voice of registered nurses in Canada. A federation of 11 provincial and territorial nursing associations and colleges representing nearly 150,000 registered nurses, CNA advances the practice and profession of nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada's publicly funded not-for-profit health system.

 

SOURCE: CANADIAN NURSES ASSOCIATION

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Kate Headley, External Communications Coordinator
Canadian Nurses Association
Telephone: [phone], ext. 561
Cell: 613-697-7507
E-mail: [email protected]