Nurses urge Ontarians to vote on June 7
TORONTO, June 1, 2018 /CNW/ - With less than a week before voters go to the polls, nurses across Ontario are proud of their efforts to advance health, health-care and nursing policy commitments during the campaign. Since the election was called on May 8, members of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) have been involved in several initiatives to engage candidates and members of the public.
The association rebranded its long-standing Take Your MPP to Work event as Take Your Politician to Work, so candidates running for office could take part. Invitations were extended to the four major parties and 50 candidates took part in 35 visits, providing them with a better appreciation of the pivotal role registered nurses and nurse practitioners play in public health units, community health centres, NP-led clinics, hospitals, and a variety of other health-care settings.
RNAO members also organized eight all-candidates debates in Windsor, Sarnia, Wallaceburg, Chatham, London, Mississauga and two held in Toronto. The association's President Angela Cooper Brathwaite says that politicians and voters alike need to be aware of the challenges nurses experience providing care for patients, and the solutions available to strengthen Ontario's health system.
Many of those solutions are outlined in RNAO's policy platform, Improving Health for All. Covering five topic areas, there are recommendations to improve access to nursing care, health system transformation, living standards, the environment, and the province's fiscal capacity.
RNAO also analyzed the policy platforms of the Liberal, PC, NDP and Green parties. "We believe our comparison of the platforms, and leaders' responses to a list of questions we provided, will help voters make informed choices that affect their health and the health system," says Cooper Brathwaite, encouraging voters to read RNAO's platform and related election materials.
RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun describes the upcoming election as very important. "We urge every Ontarian eligible to vote – including all nurses, their families and friends – because this is one of the privileges of our democracy. For its part, RNAO will work – as it always has – with the party that forms the next government to champion the health issues that affect the lives of people across this province."
The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.
For more information about RNAO, or to access election-related materials, visit RNAO.ca/platform
SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario
To arrange an interview with a nurse, or for more information, please contact: Marion Zych, Director of Communications, RNAO, 416-408-5605 (office), 647-406-5605 (cell), [email protected]
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