Ontario Nurses Call Liberal Party Commitment to Hire 3,500 New Nurses in 2018 a Step in the Right Direction

TORONTO, May 11, 2018 /CNW/ - Calling the commitment "a good first step," the head of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) reacted positively to an announcement by Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne to hire 3,500 new Registered Nurses (RNs) across the province in the first year if elected.

"This is an important step forward to restore the quality and safety of patients in our hospitals and long-term care homes across the province," said ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN. "Care provided by a Registered Nurse is directly linked to improved outcomes and patient satisfaction, and reduced complications and re-admissions. More RNs will improve care and save money."

The announcement from the Liberal Party comes just days after Ontario nurses released alarming new data which shows that more than 10,000 RN positions are currently vacant in Ontario hospitals and that Ontario has the lowest RN-to-population in Canada, further demonstrating the need to hire more RNs.

ONA is calling on all of the political parties to commit to hiring 10,000 new Registered Nurses over the next four years and to fill the RN vacancies in Ontario hospitals.

ONA is the union representing more than 65,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; www.Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses Association

Ontario Nurses' Association: Sheree Bond, [phone], ext. 2430; cell: [phone]; [email protected]; Melanie Levenson, [phone], ext. 2369; [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.ona.org