Re: Public health funding frozen: Jaeger
As president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association, I am writing to provide a follow- up to the recent report from Niagara Public Health’s
Dr. Val Jaeger.
Jaeger speaks of Niagara residents “getting loud” to government as she speaks about the impact frozen provincial funding has on our public health unit. Jaeger states: “We have been budgeting for zero ( per cent increase) from the province again, for four years in a row; this is the first year that Niagara will be decreasing staff going into 2018.”
Niagara residents need to understand public health nurses are the foundation of health- care in Niagara Region and that reducing nursing staff and services negatively impacts the health care of our clients and the Region as a whole. Public health nurses are regulated, skilled professionals who work to prevent illness and disease and focus on health promotion, guided by the social determinants of health. They are skilled in their ability to offer counseling, teaching, treatment, advocacy, social marketing, community development and healthy public policy. They work in collaboration with other health- care providers and community partners to deliver public health services, demonstrated in the work they do in managing disease outbreaks and delivering communitybased treatment to those with mental illness and sexual health concerns.
Public health nurses are not just involved in communicable disease work, they are found in local schools, working with children. They are also on the front lines providing outreach services to those who are affected by the social determinants of health, such as poverty and homelessness. They provide support to individuals and their families – young and old, gay or straight – from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds while working hard to achieve health equity for all Niagara residents.
Our communities should know that while public health has made no mention of nursing cuts, the reality is, this is happening as we are starting to see the erosion of nursing positions through attrition and the reallocation of funds from supports for a nurse to lessskilled, unregulated workers. People in Niagara need to be asking themselves, “What does that mean for us?”
If there are not enough public health nurses to provide services in a timely manner, primary health- care – including that of our already- overflowing hospital emergency departments – will have to handle the excess. This means longer wait times for services, an increased threat of disease and health- related complications that may even lead to mortality.
It makes no financial sense to cut the public health workforce or services. We will all pay the price, financially and health- wise. For the health of our community, I too, along with Dr. Jaeger, encourage Niagara Region residents to start speaking up and fighting for the quality health care we all need and deserve in our community.
Linda Haslam- Stroud, RN President
Ontario Nurses’ Association