Nurses' Association president hearing provincial concerns, advocating to Ford government

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario wants members to know it's advocating on their behalf to the provincial government.

The president is visiting communities across the province this fall to hear from nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students.

Angela Cooper Brathwaite was in Sudbury Tuesday to listento concerns and issues RNAO members have about the health care system.

She visited Laurentian University, Health Sciences North and Public Health Sudbury & District.

"[Nurses] provide vital insight into the broad range of factors that foster good health, good nursing and good health care," said David Groulx, RNAO Sudbury Chapter President.

"In order to better understand the issues facing our health care system we must work together to come up with solutions to improve people's health," he added.

As she has visited other communities, Cooper Brathwaite says she's heard from RNAO members about supervised injection sites, the opioid crisis, the effects of poverty on health and Indigenous health.

"Those issues are the same [across the province], and so how are they addressing that at the provincial level, and what can we learn from that," Groulx said.

Cooper Brathwaite says nurses working in public health are concerned about improving Indigenous health.

"The rate of suicide is higher among Indigenous people, so they really need to support, not only in academia, but in the community."

She wants to see collaboration with the chiefs and other leaders of the First Nations to work to fill the gap in the health care system.

During an evening presentation to Sudbury RNAO members, Cooper Brathwaite discussed the same key concerns she is working on. She also told the crowd what the professional association is doing to help find solutions to these issues.

"I will take some of the issues back to home office and what we do we advocate for them," she said.

The RNAO plans to lobby the new provincial government to help make changes.