Nurses stand up against funding plan for Sudbury hospital

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO NURSES' ASSOCIATION

*********************** Sudbury hospital privatization another blow to public health care, nurses say

SUDBURY, ON, Dec. 1 - The government's decision to privately finance Sudbury Regional Hospital's capital construction project is setting off alarm bells among front-line caregivers. "Alternative Financing and Procurement is just another expression for privatization," said Ann Kennealy, Local 13 Bargaining Unit President of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA). "Sudbury Regional Hospital is in great financial health now, with a $1.5-million budgetary surplus in 2005," she noted. "This is an opportunity for the organization to reinvest those funds in hiring full-time nurses to improve patient care, not to walk down the privatization and job loss path."

ONA has recently launched a public affairs campaign, Not Enough Nurses, to pressure the government to hire more registered nurses.

Queen's Park said it would hire 8,000 full-time nurses over the course of its mandate.

It has hired some, but demanded balanced budgets from the province's hospitals, which has caused layoffs. "The lack of front-line nursing staff has led to long overtime hours and adverse working conditions for nurses at Sudbury hospital," said Kennealy.

"We're burning out, suffering illness and injury, and we are frustrated that we can't provide the quality patient care we're trained for. Hiring more nurses now must be the first priority for this government and for the board of directors." ONA has launched a special web site - www.StillNotEnoughNurses.ca - where members of the public can learn more about the crisis in nursing and sign an on-line petition urging the government to hire more nurses.

ONA is the union representing 51,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals working in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, community agencies and industry throughout Ontario. *************************