Media Advisory - Ontario Nurses' Association to Hold Roundtable Discussion on Preventing Violence Against Nurses

Nurses to call on federal election candidates to develop a national strategy

NEWMARKET, ON, Sept. 23, 2019 /CNW/ - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) leaders and front-line members will be joined by federal election candidates tomorrow as they discuss the serious issue of workplace violence against nurses.

ONA is calling on federal election candidates to develop a national strategy to address workplace violence in health care.

"For too long, political leaders have ignored what nurses and health-care professionals have been experiencing firsthand ? workplace violence is constant and is on the rise," says ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN. "We need a national strategy to prevent workplace violence in health care and end these avoidable injuries to those of us who want to focus on healing patients, not ourselves and our colleagues."

As part of ONA's Nurses Vote campaign, the union is demanding concrete actions from candidates during this federal election, including pharmacare for all, an end to workplace violence, and national standards for long-term care, including phasing out for-profit homes at the expense of our frail and elderly. The nurses will be joined by Green Party candidate Walter Bauer, NDP candidate Yvonne Kelly and Liberal candidate Tony Vay Bynen. Conservative candidate Lois Brown has not yet confirmed.

ONA is the union representing more than 65,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; www.Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association