The first of four commercials highlight the risk of workplace violence faced by nurses, and other healthcare professionals start airing Wednesday.
The Ontario Nurses' Association Local 8 developed the series to bring attention to the problem faced by one in three healthcare professionals.
The local represents nurses working in Windsor-Essex.
https://youtu.be/GjM5_BiFWP8
"RNs [registered nurses] are caregivers," says ONA President Vicki McKenna. "We go to work each day to help their patients heal, not to be beaten and assaulted."
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare CEO Janice Kaffer says making healthcare safe will entail training, safety planning, having strong policies in place, and identifying risks to patients and staff.
"All of that though, won't be enough unless people can come forward when violence happens and be heard without judgement or retribution," Kaffer notes. She pledged "as a registered nurse and the CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare that our hospital will be safe from violence and from all fear of reporting it."
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj also expressed support for the campaign saying, "believing that violence against RNs and healthcare professionals doesn't exist won't help eradicate the attacks."
"It cannot be stressed enough that when our care providers are at risk, our patients also suffer," Musyj continues.
The ONA represents 65,000 RNs and healthcare professionals, along with 16,000 nursing student affiliates.