CALLING ALL ONT NURSES!! TELL MIKE HARRIS NOT TO PRIVATIZE HOSPITALS!

Nurses General Nursing

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Okay, it was bad enough when Harris made deep cuts to the health care system 6-7 years ago, resulting in nurses being laid off in droves, and many of them fleeing south to the States. It was bad enough when Harris said nurses were "as outmoded as Hula hoops...Now, he wants to put some more nails in our health care system's coffin by allowing hospitals to be run by private corporations!

Are you aware of what's been happening in the States with the HMO's running things? Are you aware just how bad this could get? Have you read the Chicago Trib expose, which talks about patients dying due to short staffing? Well, it could all happen here if Harris is successful in privatizing hospitals. We're talking big business here, people who worship the almighty dollar. Their presidents and execs make millions of dollars a year, while the frontline staff are paid the minimum they can get away with, and are worked to the bone. Due to the dynamics of the business world, no doubt most of the corporations running hospitals in Canada will have their head offices in the States. These corporations are huge, and if you think for a minute that Canadian corporations can out-compete them in a free market, well, I got some nice swampland in Florida I'm trying to sell.... Do we really want our hospitals being run by foreign businessmen, who have no knowledge of local conditions, and (most likely) could care less??

Let's speak up NOW

If you really need to know how bad this can get, here's a few horror stories I recall from various articles. In one hospital, family members frantically tried to find nursing staff to help a lady in respiratory distress. Nursing staff was so busy that by the time they got to this lady, she had gone into respiratory arrest, and suffered permanent brain damage. Another woman (I beleive it was in the same hospital) bled to death after a hysterectomy, partly due to shortage of nursing staff, and partly due to support staff not being available to get the necessary blood work done (she was bleeding internally, and the bloodwork would have shown this, if it had been completed and reported in a timely manner). In another hospital, there weren't enough nurses to pass meds. Housekeeping staff were given nursing-type uniforms, and delegated to give out meds!! (That's illegal here, and I certainly hope it is in the States too!!)

Okay, are you worried already? You should be!! Let's DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!

Originally posted by Jay-Jay:

In another hospital, there weren't enough nurses to pass meds. Housekeeping staff were given nursing-type uniforms, and delegated to give out meds!! (That's illegal here, and I certainly hope it is in the States too!!)

HOLY S***!!! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!! I haven't heard of anything like that happening in the states, but I wouldn't put it past the hospital admin. we have to pull a stunt like that. YES, it's illegal!!

I doubt anything I'd say in your defense to these people would help, as I work and live in the states, but you definitely have my moral support!! Good Lord. Keep us posted on what happens...I'll be crossing my fingers for you.

K-Day, unfortunately I am NOT kidding you! The first two instances I quoted were from the Chicago Trib article. I'm unsure of the source for the one about the meds. If anyone on the board remembers, would they please enlighten me? I want to make sure I have my facts right. Thanks!

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