Nurses applaud Natyshak bill

Re: Natyshak bill aims to help emergency workers with PTSD, by Trevor Wilhelm, Sept. 15.

When the Ontario government passed Bill 163 to give first responders a more direct path to treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there was a glaring omission: the province’s nurses.

Just like police and paramedics, nurses regularly face trauma as they work to keep Ontarians safe and healthy. They are also victims of assault and other forms of violence in their workplaces. These situations can have devastating effects leaving nurses feeling vulnerable and unduly alone.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario has repeatedly called on the government to include nurses in Bill 163, and so we applaud MPP Taras Natyshak (NDP Essex) for his private member’s bill to right this wrong.

We urge the government to give Mr. Natyshak’s bill the consideration it needs and add nurses to this important piece of legislation.

Nurses deserve the same rights as other first responders so they can seek treatment for PTSD without having to jump through hoops to prove their illness or justify their need for care.

Nurses are always by our side when we need them most. Let’s return the favour.

Doris Grinspun, chief executive officer, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, Toronto