TORONTO, June 18,
2024 /CNW/ - Nurses from across Ontario will join their colleagues and elected
officials at the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's (RNAO) 99th Annual
General Meeting (AGM) to celebrate successes and solve challenges.
Registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP) and nursing
students will come together to share their experiences and impact
during the AGM, held Thursday, June
20 to Saturday, June 22 in
downtown Toronto.
The three-day event, titled Nursing: Celebrating successes,
solving challenges, kicks off with remarks from provincial
political leaders and international nursing colleagues to recognize
the extraordinary contributions of nurses to the profession and
Ontario's health system. RNAO will
also honour top nurses and leading media coverage of health issues
at this year's Recognition Awards and Media Awards ceremonies. "AGM
is our biggest and most lively annual celebration. It provides
nurses with the opportunity to network, inspire and look ahead at
what we have accomplished together with our professional
association, and the work that remains ahead," says RNAO President
Dr. Claudette Holloway.
Among the highlights Ontario
nurses are marking: the government's introduction of RN prescribing
(called for by the association since 2012), the increased use of
NPs in all sectors, and substantial increases in nursing program
educational seats. "RNAO's strong collective of more than 51,650
RNs, NPs and nursing students is making strides for all nurses by
promoting practice that is grounded in evidence and influencing
public policy that benefits all, leaving no one behind," says
Holloway.
RNAO is also showcasing the successes of its Best Practice
Guidelines (BPG) Program, marking its 25th year, and its
Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®)
Program in its 21st year. This year also marks the
10th anniversary of RNAO's Long-Term Care Best Practices
Program. "BPSOs commit to implementing and sustaining
recommendations outlined in RNAO's more than 50 evidence-based
guidelines, and the results speak volumes for patients, families,
and communities as well as health teams, systems and
organizations," says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris
Grinspun, founder of the BPSO and BPG programs. This year's
AGM will welcome 11 newly-designated BPSOs, including four
foundational Ontario Health Teams and several international
organizations.
In keeping with its commitment to equity, diversity and
inclusion in nursing, health and health care, RNAO is
introducing a Knowledge Keeper to its board of directors. The
Knowledge Keeper will help inform priorities related to Indigenous
health and guide the association's work towards truth and
reconciliation. In addition, RNAO's partnership with the College of
Nurses of Ontario (CNO) to collect
race-based data is bearing fruit. In February 2024, the CNO initiated a Workforce
Census to collect extensive equity-related data from more than
30,000 nurses. This data will inform equitable and inclusive
policies, crucial for retaining nurses and ensuring they feel safe
and respected.
Formal and informal discussions at AGM will also cover RNAO's
work on social and environmental imperatives in collaboration with
civil society coalitions. Notable successes: the introduction of a
universal, single-payer national pharmacare program; increases to
federal health transfer payments; major federal investments in
housing; and a critical step toward addressing the climate crisis
through an emissions cap for the oil and gas sectors. Ongoing
challenges include nurse staffing shortages, the expansion of
for-profit care, growing homelessness, and the impacts of hate and
discrimination targeted at trans and non-binary people.
"While we celebrate successes, we must also explore how we have
tackled and will continue to tackle challenges. One urgent example:
the toxic drug crisis that is killing so many in our province. We
remain laser focused on demanding safe supervised consumption sites
for all communities in need because harm reduction is health care,"
says Grinspun.
RNAO's AGM will also welcome incoming president Lhamo Dolkar, RNAO's first practising NP
president, as Holloway completes her two-year term as president and
transitions to the role of immediate past-president. "I am honoured
to undertake the once-in-a-lifetime responsibility to represent
RNAO's strong, influential voice of RNs, NPs and nursing students,"
says Dolkar. "I look forward to working collaboratively with RNAO's
membership and my colleagues on the board of directors to continue
amplifying nurses' voices and mobilizing change as we approach the
association's 100th anniversary."
On the final day of RNAO's 99th AGM, nurses will
participate in a town hall dedicated to sharing stories that
highlight nurses' profound values, rich experiences and significant
impact on patients/clients, families, communities, colleagues,
health systems, RNAO and more.
Highlights of the three-day event include:
Thursday, June 20, 6 –
9:30 p.m. ET
- Opening ceremonies featuring remarks from provincial elected
officials and international nursing colleagues
- Premier Doug Ford (video
remarks)
- Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones (video remarks)
- Minister of Long-Term Care and RN Natalia
Kusendova-Bashta
- Culture Critic and Women's Issues Critic for the Official
Opposition, Ontario New Democratic Party, Dr. Jill Andrew
- Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party Bonnie Crombie
- Deputy Leader of the Ontario Green Party Aislinn
Clancy
- Dr. Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu, chief nursing
officer, World Health Organization (video remarks)
- Dr. Pamela Cipriano, president of International Council of
Nurses (video remarks)
- Dr. Sandra C. Garmon Bibb,
president of Sigma International (written remarks)
- Ceremony to celebrate the 11-newly designated BPSOs
- Greetings from Michelle E. DiEmanuele, secretary of the
Ontario cabinet, head of the
public service and clerk of the executive council
- Remarks from Dr. Karima Velji, chief of nursing and
professional practice, and assistant deputy minister of health
Friday, June 21, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
ET
- RNAO President Dr. Claudette
Holloway and CEO Dr. Doris
Grinspun will deliver their reports
- Results of One member, one vote will be announced
- Consultation session of the 2024 proposed resolutions to guide
the work of RNAO
- Leadership luncheon hosted by the Nursing Students of
Ontario interest group:
Living EDI in All Pillars of One's Life, with Deputy Minister
of Health Deborah Richardson
- Introduction of RNAO's 2024-2025 board of directors,
including incoming president NP Lhamo Dolkar and outgoing president
Dr. Claudette Holloway who will
become immediate past-president
- President's Banquet (6:30 – 9:30 p.m. ET), featuring the
Recognition Awards and Media Awards ceremonies (note: some
Recognition Awards will be presented during the day on June 21)
Saturday, June 22, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
ET
- Closing keynote presentation: Town Hall – Nursing Leaders'
Stories
- Moderated by RNAO CEO Dr. Doris
Grinspun, panelists will share stories about overcoming
challenges, living fulfilling nursing moments and embarking on
inspiring journeys:
- NP Lhamo Dolkar, RNAO
president
- Dr. Claudette Holloway, RNAO immediate past-president
- RN Cyril Lee Turley, first RN prescriber graduate,
Manitoulin Island
- NP Melissa Germann, Mohawk
Woman, NP De Dwa Da Dehs Nye Aboriginal Health Centre
- Nursing student perspective Tania La Fleur, RPN, new RN
graduate
- RNAO members Nevine Bekhit,
Sallie Hammond and Fatima Raza will share their stories on how they
have impacted patients, families and communities
Members of the media are welcome to attend in person
(Toronto's Hilton hotel, 145
Richmond St. W.) or watch the livestream on RNAO's AGM portal.
The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (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 system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the
public we serve. For more information about RNAO,
visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly
Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario