Greetings Nurses,
Thank you for being a member of RNAO and the Staff Nurse Interest Group. Thank you for the important and often difficult work that you do, caring for Ontarians.
As I write this newsletter, there are demonstrations and protests in United States against the illegal and brutal treatment of its peoples. This month in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti who were on the streets observing ICE activities, have been murdered by federal agents. Good and Pretti have been called domestic terrorists by the US government.
Our CEO Doris Grinspun has written a powerful opinion piece that has been printed in The Hamilton Spectator and other newspapers. Doris states that we mourn Alex Pretti, a Registered Nurse. Nurses work to promote health and care for people. Alex died providing assistance to a woman being attacked by ICE agents. Doris asks that our leaders confront the forces that killed him. The Manitoba Premier, Wab Kinew has courageously spoken publicly condemning the violence and killings and he also asks our leaders to do the same. I sent an email to our Prime Minister and several other federal and provincial politicians asking them to publicly condemn the violence. To observe violence and stay silent makes us complicit.
Later this month some of the SNIG executive will attend Queen’s Park Day and RNAO winter assembly. We usually have breakfast with an MPP and spend time in the legislature. We are prepped by RNAO staff regarding important issues and policies to discuss with politicians. Unfortunately, parliament is not in session: our elected officials are taking a long break as they did last year and we won’t speak individually to politicians. However, RNAO is a very politically active organization. We will learn about actions taken and how to direct our energies politically.
SNIG provides webinars to our members several times per year. In January we held a Fireside Chat with Registered Nurses Tilda Shalof and Lisa Mochrie. They told us about their nursing careers and discussed their just released book The Handover: A Nurse’s Last Shift. Tilda is now retired from nursing and Lisa is early in her career. The book is selling well and available from Amazon.
Please join us February 18 at 5 pm for The Great Nursing Face-off-Jeopardy Night. Nursing students Aveen Abdoli and Kimberly Nabukenya have created and organized this event. It is a time for nurses to compete, have fun and test their nursing knowledge.
Signing off until next time.
Submitted by Brenda Hutton, RN on behalf of the Staff Nurse Interest Group, RNAO.
SNIG Executive Members:
Brenda Hutton, Chair ENO
Una Ferguson: Communications ENO
Laura Uribe: Membership ENO
Chahat Sharma: Policy and Political Action ENO
Merit Sadek and Damali Austin: Chair Elects
McKenna Hill: Finance ENO
Kimberly Nabukenya: Student ENO