The need for nursing staff is affecting hospitals across the country including here in Ontario.

According to a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), they say the average number of RNs in Canada are 830.5 RNs per 100,000 residents. However, in Ontario, that works out to be 668 registered nurses for 100,000 people.

In a release, ONA First Vice-President Angela Preocanin, RN, says;

This new data confirms that Ontario’s nursing shortage is more serious than in the rest of Canada than ever before, and things are only getting worse. The policies of the Ford government are clearly not improving the nursing shortage nor ensuring Ontarians get the care they need.

Their report also goes on to say that in order to meet the needs the province needs, a hiring blitz would have to happen to the tune of close to 25,000 RNs immediately just to match the national average.

Attention has been called around the various parts of the current health care crisis including; retention, burnout, high workloads and the wage suppression legislation, Bill 124.

ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 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.