Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for yesterday's Facebook Live event. We appreciated all your questions and comments. As mentioned, we are continuing to work woth government and seek clarity on their plans for pandemic pay and how that will be rolled out. We'll be sure to keep you posted on any updates and developments.
For RPNs who were looking for guidance on PPE, please click here to find the latest government directives. Guidance documents and directives can also be found on our COVID Hub
We also continue to work hard to raise awareness about the challenges facings RPNs on the frontlines during this pandemic.
Today, an opinion piece by our CEO Dianne Martin was published that called attention to the need to better protect healthcare workers in LTC in order to protect residents. You can read that article here.
We were also featured in this article about the personal toll that restrictive policies are having on LTC staff and residents. Read that here
WeRPN Webinars & Practice Resources Over the past several weeks, we've shared a variety of webinar links focused on key topics to support nurses during the pandemic. From stress and coping, to de-escalation, our resources for nurses by nurses were created to help you in your practice. You can now access all our webinars and additional resources on our Resource Hub. Create a free account to check them out.
Key Provincial Updates and Resources for Health Professionals
Today the Ontario government announced it would be expanding the list of essential workers eligible to receive free emergency child care during the COVID-19 outbreak.
When asked about Ontario’s testing capacity, Premier Ford was optimistic that the province will soon reach the target of being able to process 14,000 tests per day. The province will continue to increase its testing capacity, focusing on testing in long-term care and child care centres.
The government has also released memo regarding regional COVID-19 staffing response in support of Long-Term Care Homes.
Key Federal Updates Federal MPs were debating legislation to provide financial aid to students that was announced last week, with opposition parties urging the government to make changes to the policy.
The Prime Minister says his government will not allow companies that use offshore tax havens to receive COVID-19 bailout funds.
For more information, we encourage you to visit theGovernment of Canada website.
Daily Reports
As of 10:30AM today, Ontario reported 15,728confirmed cases (increase of 347), 9,612 resolved cases, 996 deaths
and 9,530 currently under investigation with lab results pending.
The Ministry is also reporting that 977 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, 235 are in ICU and 186 are vented. To view these additional details: click here Click Hereto read the latest Ministry of Health Daily Report **Please note, these reports are intended for health professionals only and we request that you not share this with the public.
World Health Organization Situation Reports are also available here
In the News For an interactive map tracking all cases across Canada and internationally, click here
Below are some key stories from today that may be of interest to our members:
We encourage RPNs looking for employment opportunities to sign up on all the platforms noted above.
We will continue to monitor this situation and keep you updated as more information becomes available. Thank you for the important work that you're doing and the sacrifices you're making to keep Ontarians safe. We appreciate everything that you're doing each and every day.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Tiff Blair at tblair@werpn.com
Sincerely,
WeRPN Team
WeRPN 5025 Orbitor Drive Building 5, Suite 200 Mississauga, Ontario L4W 4Y5