BRANTFORD, ON, January 15, 2025 – Dozens of nurse practitioners (NPs) and registered nurses (RNs) – members of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) – from Grand River Community Health Centre rallied outside Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Will Bouma’s office today. The RNs and NPs are demanding the Ford government increase primary care funding to promote retention and close the wage gap so that more of their community members can access the primary care they need.
“More than two million Ontarians desperately need primary care, including thousands of residents in the County of Brant,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “NPs and RNs are already providing high-quality primary care. They can help fill the primary care gap, but the Ford Conservatives are deliberately underfunding the sector so that their corporate buddies can turn a profit at the expense of taxpayers.”
NPs are highly skilled, autonomous practitioners who can diagnose and treat patients, prescribe medications, provide referrals and order tests, and more. The significant lack of primary care funding is impacting the retention and recruitment of these nurses in community care. Ford’s underfunding keeps community care staff wages low, even with the dramatic rise in the cost of living. This forces many NPs and RNs out of their jobs in community health centres and into hospitals, where wages are higher.
Ariss says, “MPP Bouma and the Ford government must start 2025 with new and sustained funding specifically earmarked for existing primary care teams and nurses’ and health-care professionals’ wages to promote retention. With fair and equal wages that recognize the skill and expertise of NPs and RNs in community health centres, this government can demonstrate that it cares about our communities, and people can access the timely care they need and deserve.”
ONA is the union representing 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing students, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.
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