Kingston nurses celebrated during ‘Take Your MPP to Work Day’ 2023

To cap off Nursing Week 2023, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) Kingston Chapter, in partnership with Providence Care, celebrated nurses at an event held at the Providence Transitional Care Centre.

Today, Friday, May 12, 2023, was the annual Take Your MPP To Work event for the RNAO. Mayor Bryan Paterson, MP Mark Gerretsen and MPP Ted Hsu joined the RNAO at this annual celebration, which recognized the significant impact of the nursing profession on high-quality, people-centred care delivery while continuing to navigate through challenging times, according to a joint release from Providence Care and the RNAO.

“RNAO is proud to recognize all nurses as highly trained and skilled professionals who guide their ethical practice with compassion to preserve human dignity, ensure patient autonomy, and promote freedom from suffering, as they care for and meet the needs of the whole person. Nurses in every sector continue to advocate for and empower individuals and communities to reach their optimal level of well-being,” said Jennifer Waite, RNAO Kingston Chapter executive. “As nurses create, shape, and drive change with innovative approaches—our nursing workforce has and will continue to remain steadfast as they mentor and support new nurses entering professional practice.”

“Nurses are teammates, mentors, patient advocates and leaders. They continue to accomplish so much, including going above and beyond to help implement innovative new pilot programs designed to improve the patient experience, such as Transitions Home at Providence Transitional Care Centre,” added Darcy Woods-Fournier, Vice President of Patient & Client Care and Chief Nursing Executive at Providence Care. “Assessing patients, coordinating care delivery, and finding more effective ways to collaborate meant smoother continuity of care for patients transitioning home.”

According to the release, the successful pilot program, which ran from January to April, saw dedicated nurses, working as part of inter-professional teams, get 24 patients aged 64 to 98 from hospital to home sooner with a comprehensive care plan, ensuring they were supported by the same allied health team they had in hospital for their home care.

Kingston’s Bryan Hewitt was one of those 24 patients who transitioned home within the pilot and experienced overall positive health care outcomes, Providence Care shared.

“If this program wasn’t available and caring nurses weren’t there to encourage me, my outcome wouldn’t have been as good. This program gave me assurance that I was going to have full support once I got home. It made me more at ease knowing that I didn’t have to spend any further time in a hospital setting,” Hewitt expressed in a statement.

Despite the challenges and issues affecting the nursing profession today, important and transformative work is underway, Providence Care stated. The resilience and dedication nurses demonstrate every day prove that thriving through hardship is more than possible.

“Nurses are the pulse of a well-functioning health system and healthy population,” concluded Waite.