RNAO open letter to Premier Wynne: immediately add nurses to PTSD legislation

TORONTO, April 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Ontario's RNs, NPs and nursing students are urging the provincial government to fix its mistake, and immediately add nurses to legislation that expedites access to treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Legislators unanimously passed Bill 163 this week, which gives Ontario's first responders a more direct path to treatment for PTSD. The bill is a major step toward eliminating barriers for suffering Ontarians, except for a glaring omission: the province's nurses.

RNAO says nurses witness trauma, suffering and death on a regular basis, and suffer the highest rates of violence of any profession. That's why today, the association sent an open letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne insisting nurses be included in Bill 163.

Read RNAO's letter to Premier Wynne.

RNAO 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, visit our website at RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

or to interview a nurse, please contact: Daniel Punch, Communications Officer/Writer, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 416-408-5606, [email protected]; Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 416-408-5605 (office), 647-406-5605 (evenings/weekends), [email protected]