Hey nurses! Look who's got $216,931 for you!

NEWS RELEASE

DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP

************************** Orazietti announces $216,931 for nurses in Sault Ste. Marie

McGuinty government improving health care and decreasing surgical wait times

QUEEN'S PARK - The McGuinty government is investing in permanent funding for Registered Nursing Surgical First Assist (RN-SFA) positions in order to decrease wait times for surgical procedures at Sault Area Hospital (SAH), David Orazietti, MPP announced today.

“As part of our government’s commitment to improve health care we are providing additional permanent funding for nursing programs that will further reduce wait times for surgical procedures in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Orazietti. “We recognize the important role nurses play in our health care system and by providing them with new opportunities for career enhancement and skill development we are also helping to deliver better care closer to home.”

Ontario is training more nurses to ensure all patients have access to quality health care. In 2009 alone, 2,910 students graduated from Ontario’s nursing degree programs, which is an increase from 1,647 graduates in 2005.

The $216,931 in funding announced today is comprised of:

- $30,213 in additional one-time funding

- $186,718 for annualized base funding.

“Permanent funding for the Registered Nurse Surgical First Assist is excellent news and the timing is especially fitting coming during Nurses Week 2010, giving us one more reason to celebrate the profession of nursing. The RN-SFA program enhances the skill set of our RNs, enabling them to practice at their full scope, further improving the quality of patient care at SAH and throughout the province,” said Johanne Messier-Mann, chief nursing officer and director of the maternal child program & nursing practice at SAH.

"This is absolutely great news. The RN-SFA role has allowed us to build upon the skills and knowledge of our registered nurses and, with additional education and training with physicians, this funding will allow them to play an even more integral role within the operative process," said Lori Bertrand, director, SAH Surgical Program. "We have been hoping and waiting for this news for some time and it will go a long way in helping us stabilize and grow the surgical program."

In addition to the 29 nursing positions presently available at Sault Area Hospital and the recent investment of $25,000 for the Victoria Order of Nurses the McGuinty government has provided the following support for nurses, which includes:

- Over $900 million in nursing initiatives since 2003

- 10,000 more nursing positions created in Ontario since 2003; more than 900 nursing positions to be created in 2009-10

- Made Ontario one of the few jurisdictions in the world to offer a job guarantee to new nursing graduates

- $183 million for the Nursing Graduate Guarantee program

- Opened Canada’s first nurse practitioner-led clinic in Sudbury; an additional 25 new clinics will come into operation by 2011-12 including one in Sault Ste. Marie

- Created the “Grow Your Own Nurse Practitioner Program”, to support registered nurses obtaining advanced education to fill vacant nurse practitioner positions

- Doubled the number of education spaces for educating nurse practitioners (from 75 to 150 spaces), and adding 50 more spaces over the next three years

- $94 million over six years for the Late Career Nurse Initiative

- $103 million to add more than 19,000 bed-lifts and safety equipment to reduce injuries

- $20 million for Clinical Simulation Equipment to better prepare nursing students for entering clinical practice

- $1 million annually to support tuition costs for nurses who wish to return to rural, remote or underserviced communities

- $5 million annually for the Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Education Program

- $93 million invested for nursing research and additional nursing education initiatives

- $5.5 million towards pilot projects to provide nurses working in a variety of settings with PDAs (hand-held computers)

- Increased the percentage of nurses working full-time by 13 percent (from 50 percent in 2003 to 62.9 percent in 2008)

- Invested in a $40 million Nursing Retention Fund, managed by our three major nursing partners, to help hospitals retrain and retain nurses

- Created the Nursing Education Initiative (NEI) which provides eligible nurses with up to $1500/year to access continuing education and professional development.

Quick facts

Studies have shown that RN-SFAs help to reduce surgical wait times, increase patient access to surgeries, improve patient safety and outcomes, and enhance a team-based model of care.

Since 2003, the ministry has invested over $1 billion in a range of nursing initiatives that enhance education, recruitment and retention of Ontario nurses.

The government is committed to having 25 new nurse practitioner-led clinics in operation by 2012

Learn more

Read about HealthForceOntario.

Find out more about Registered Nurse-Surgical First Assists.

Find out more about the nursing graduate guarantee here.

************************* Earlier SooToday.com coverage of this story

Nursing cuts hurting Sault patients, NDP claims Ontario Nurses’ Association takes on Orazietti Nurses puzzle David Orazietti Sault Area Hospital disputes claims of nursing cuts Nurses outraged by local news-release attacks Nursing Week - as seen by Orazietti, nurses' union Hey nurses! Look who's got $216,931 for you!