By Carly Koeppen and Leanne Robertson-Weeds,
BC Nurses’ Union Regional Council Members, South Island Region
There is a nurse staffing crisis at Lady Minto Hospital where on any given day, the nurses who work there are left to do their job with fewer than half the number of required staff. This means the daily reality is having to work unsupported and understaffed, while managing soaring patient demands in unsafe conditions. It’s not unusual for nurses to have to reach out to their colleagues to help cover shifts and many are distressed not knowing if there will be a nurse available to care for their patients when their shift ends.
These dire working conditions are behind the overwhelming strain and moral distress our nurses face as they work to provide safe patient care.
The residents of Salt Spring Island deserve better. The nurses of Lady Minto Hospital deserve better.
We are calling on the government to invest in the province’s health-care system, so that hospitals like Lady Minto and communities like Salt Spring Island aren’t left to manage the health-care crisis alone. This means coming up with strategies to recruit and retain enough nurses to provide quality care to British Columbians.
The BC Nurses’ Union will be on site at Lady Minto Hospital to support its members on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Everyone can take action to support nurses by going to HelpBCNurses.ca and emailing your MLA to demand change.
I cannot think of a better cause. We need our nurses badly & they badly need our support. Linda James