Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) registered nurses (RNs) held multi-site rallies in Bracebridge and Huntsville today, calling for Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) leaders to refocus their efforts on retaining and recruiting RNs. Higher staffing levels are imperative to ensure safe patient care.
“Our front-line RNs remain laser focused on healing the damage that inadequate nurse staffing levels have caused to patient care, as we have for more than a year,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “As RNs, nothing is more important than advocating for our patients, and we continue to do so at MAHC. Today, at rallies held in Bracebridge and Huntsville, we called on MAHC leaders to take every action necessary to successfully retain nurses and recruit additional nurses so patients can receive the safe, quality patient care they deserve.”
Ariss joined MAHC RNs, other ONA leaders, other unions and allies from the Save South Muskoka Hospital group at the rallies today. Among other demands, the nurses are calling for every RN position eliminated in 2023 be restored.
“We will accept nothing less than a fully staffed and fully restored organization,” says Ariss. “We will not back down in our fight for safe RN staffing and safe patient care for everyone in this region.”
ONA is the union representing 68,000 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.
