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Island nurses to rally at VIHA Board meeting

May 29, 2013

Nurses from across mid and north Vancouver Island will rally at the Vancouver Island Health Authority Board meeting in Port Alberni on Wednesday (May 29). They’ll be there to demand a halt to a plan to reduce the number of nurses at the bedside at VIHA hospitals, pending an independent review.

Where:
VIHA Board meeting, Hospitality Inn, Port Alberni

When:
Nurses leave Nanaimo Coast Bastion Hotel 12:20 pm, arrive around 1:30 pm
Meeting scheduled to begin 1:45 pm

Why:
To demand a halt to a plan to replace licensed and registered nursing professionals with unlicensed care aides on key hospital units. To demand an independent review

According to a scheme called “Care Delivery Model Redesign”, VIHA managers want to cut the number of professional nurses working with patients recovering from serious illnesses or surgeries and replace them with unlicensed care aides.

They want to implement the scheme at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital first, then roll it out at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals, before moving it to smaller hospitals throughout the island.

“While care aides are a valuable addition to help patients with activities of daily living, VIHA should not use them to replace the skills and knowledge of licensed and registered nurses,” says Jo Salken, Pacific Rim chair for the BC Nurses’ Union. “This is all about VIHA cutting budgets, not improving patient care. The evidence shows that reducing the number of professional nurses at the bedside leads to worse patient outcomes. VIHA must stop this plan and organize an independent review before it can go ahead.”


For more information contact:
Jo Salken
BCNU Pacific Rim Chair
BC Nurses' Union
Phone: 604-433-2268
Cell: 250-713-7066
Email: jsalken@bcnu.org
Website: bcnu.org

Art Moses
BCNU Communications
BC Nurses' Union
Phone: 604-433-2268
Cell: 604-868-4259
Email: amoses@bcnu.org
Website: bcnu.org

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