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Since COVID-19 hit, Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, has been hosting virtual conversations on Facebook Live, discussing a myriad of issues relating to the pandemic, nursing, health care and public health. She kicked off the second season of her show, Live with Linda, on September 14th, inviting leaders from nurse unions across the country to join her and discuss what is needed to build a healthy recovery for Canada.
There were many topics up for discussion. Each person on the call took turns speaking to a particular issue that will be essential in building a successful recovery for our country. Some of the topics included:
- the social determinants of health, and how social structures and lack of access to health care affect the likelihood of infection and seriousness of the disease in underserved communities;
- safety in the workplace, and how creating a safe environment for workers with strong Occupational Health and Safety standards, access to appropriate personal protective equipment, and legislation around violence in the workplace are essential to creating a safe environment for workers and patients;
- a National Pharmacare Program, and how COVID-19 has exacerbated an already significant lack of access to needed medications for low-income Canadians, forcing them to go without, and further straining our already overburdened healthcare system;
- the need for a robust health human resources plan, as COVID-19 has shown how understaffing and nurse shortages are worsened by the introduction of a pandemic, which takes many out of the workforce, and forces unsustainable overtime for those who are left;
- an urgent need to focus on Canada’s long-term care system, which suffers from inadequate staffing, resources, skill mix and the impact of privatization that has left our seniors bearing the brunt of the pandemic.
Janet Hazelton, president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, spoke at length about PTSD in the nursing community and the need to focus on mental health in the wake of the pandemic. She cited a recent CFNU study on mental health among nurses that had startling results, including showing that 1 in 3 nurses felt they had a major depression disorder, 1 in 4, general anxiety or burnout, and 1 in 3, suicidal tendencies. These numbers indicate a mental health crisis among Canada’s nursing workforce. Hazelton explained that we need to invest in appropriate mental health support for nurses and other healthcare workers so they know they can talk about these issues and seek help when it is needed.
COVID-19 exposed some of the cracks in Canada’s health care system. With a renewed focus on these issues, Canada’s Nurses believe that we can make a strong recovery and come back better than ever. But that will require a commitment from government at all levels to provide workers with the support and resources they need to help our system recover not only from the pandemic, but from the issues that have plagued health care for years.
Linda Silas’s Facebook Live series will continue in the weeks to come. Visit facebook.com/NursesUnions to view this and other conversations around COVID-19 and the health of our health care system.
