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Dear Colleagues: Welcome to our Sunday, June 20 report during this sixteenth month of COVID-19 in Ontario. You can find earlier update reports here, including thematic pieces in Doris’ COVID-19 Blog. And, for the many resources RNAO offers on COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Portal where you will also find RNAO media hits and releases on the pandemic here. Daily Situational Reports from Ontario's MOH EOC can be found here. As always, feel free to share this report and links with anyone interested. Scroll down for policy updates for all to act on & must join events. Ontario is doing very well with vaccination rollout, but we cannot bring our guard down. Epidemiologist David Fisman reports that Ontario has an R for the Delta variant firmly above 1 again, even as the R for earlier variants of concern falls away, and the expected decline in cases has ceased. In short, the Delta variant continues to spread and we urge the premier not to advance the reopening to Step 2 before the originally scheduled date. As Fisman says, Alberta's aggressive approach to ending restrictions will probably end (predictably) in catastrophe and is worth learning from. Please RT our message to the Premier.
In today’s report we share: (1) a reminder to answer the international survey on nurses’ wellbeing; (2) a reminder to vote, for RNAO members; (3) the final call for the RNAO AGM!; (4) how to address misinformation in social media and (5) tips from RNAO to build your Twitter presence.
Reminder to answer our survey on nurses’ wellbeing (for RNAO members and non-members) RNAO is working in partnership with researchers from the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre (RBRC) at the University of South Australia (UniSA) and with Nursing Now to deliver an international survey of nurses on COVID-19 and wellbeing. COVID-19 has had a profound impact on the whole community – including nurses and other health professionals – in Ontario, Canada and internationally. We thank RNs, RPN/LPNs, and NPs – RNAO members and non-members – who have already responded to this international survey. If you have not yet done so, please consider the impact it will have. The aim of this survey is to find out how nurses are feeling about their work, and how they have been impacted by COVID-19, across a comparison of 150 countries. It will allow RNAO and the international community to learn what we have in common, and what is different, in terms of nurses’ wellbeing and the crisis in nursing human resources.
Please go here to answer.
VOTE, VOTE, VOTE! (for RNAO members – Vote NOW – closes on June 24 at noon) RNAO members play an important role in deciding governance issues that affect the current and future direction of your professional association. One member, one vote is how you can make your voice heard. All regular members with the exception of undergraduate students are eligible to vote. This year, members are asked to cast their vote on three items:
To learn more about the items and to vote go to https://myrnao.ca/rnao_election Meet the Candidates Webinars: Join us for a chance to speak with the President-Elect and Region 1 & 3 Candidates next week. Register here and be sure to include your questions on the registration form!
Archived webinars can be viewed here. Voting opens on June 8th at noon and closes on June 24 at noon (ET). Results will be announced at the annual general meeting on June 25, 2021.
RNAO AGM is here – June 24-26! Join over 800 RNs, NPs, nursing students and members of the public attending RNAO’s thrilling Annual General Meeting. RNAO's 96th Annual General Meeting takes place virtually Thursday, June 24 – Saturday, June 26. The theme is Protecting Ontarians and Leading Change: Nurses and RNAO during COVID-19. President Morgan Hoffarth and Chief Executive Officer Doris Grinspun will reflect on the past year, highlighting our achievements and successes for nursing and the health system during a challenging year for our members. A special ceremony will honour RNAO’s newest group of Best Practice Spotlight Organizations (BPSO) who are demonstrating excellence in evidence-based care. Members will hear from Ontario’s premier, the minister of health and the leaders of the opposition parties. We will pay tribute to the best in nursing with our annual Recognition Awards and honour excellence in health reporting with our annual Media Awards. Finally, our closing keynote presentation will include a panel of nurses from various sectors sharing their experiences working on the front lines of COVID-19. Join your colleagues virtually for an opportunity to network, share and learn. Scroll down for the detailed program of the AGM. Or check out the agenda online. Watch our social media feed (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) everyday with updates about the AGM.
Let’s flatten the infodemic curve Addressing misinformation and disinformation in social media -- the distinction between the two is important and its explained below -- is crucial to ending the pandemic and pursuing healthy public policy. The following is an article from the World Health Organization (available here), which, in turn, adapted it from an article by Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris that appeared in The Spinoff (available here). If you want to read the WHO article with all the graphics, go here. I am including the WHO article under creative commons. We are all being exposed to a huge amount of COVID-19 information on a daily basis, and not all of it is reliable. Here are some tips for telling the difference and stopping the spread of misinformation. Due to COVID-19, most of us have a new word in our vocabulary: epidemiology. It is the branch of medical science that deals with the ways diseases are transmitted and can be controlled in a population. Now it is time to learn another new word: infodemiology. As humans, we are a curious and innovative species. We want to understand the world around us and stay up to date on the challenges we face and how to overcome them. One of the ways we do this is by seeking out and sharing information – lots of it. Even scientists around the world are working hard to keep up with the thousands of studies that have come out since COVID-19 appeared. But it is not only scientific studies. There are also official communications from governments and health agencies around the world. Then there are news articles and opinion pieces, and messages from vloggers, bloggers, podcasters and social media influencers. You may also see information shared by friends and family on social media or messaging apps. All of this is called the infodemic: a flood of information on the COVID-19 pandemic. Infodemiology is the study of that information and how to manage it.
Here are seven steps you can take to navigate this wave of information and decide who and what to trust: 1. Assess the source Who shared the information with you and where did they get it from? Even if it is friends or family, you still need to vet their source. To check for fake social media accounts, look at how long profiles have been active, their number of followers and their most recent posts. For websites, check the “About Us” and “Contact Us” pages to look for background information and legitimate contact details. When it comes to images or videos, make it a habit to verify their authenticity. For images, you can use reverse image search tools provided by Google and TinEye. For videos, you can use Amnesty International's YouTube DatViewer, which extracts thumbnails that you can enter into reverse image search tools. Other clues that a source may be unreliable or inaccurate include unprofessional visual design, poor spelling and grammar, or excessive use of all caps or exclamation points. 2. Go beyond headlines Headlines may be intentionally sensational or provocative to get high numbers of clicks. Read more than just the headline of an article – go further and look at the entire story. Search more widely than social media for information – look at print sources such as newspapers and magazines, and digital sources such as podcasts and online news sites. Diversifying your sources allows you to get a better picture of what is or is not trustworthy. 3. Identify the author Search the author’s name online to see if they are real or credible. 4. Check the date When you come across information, ask yourself these questions: Is this a recent story? Is it up to date and relevant to current events? Has a headline, image or statistic been used out of context? 5. Examine the supporting evidence Credible stories back up their claims with facts – for example, quotes from experts or links to statistics or studies. Verify that experts are reliable and that links actually support the story 6. Check your biases We all have biases, and these factor into how we view what’s happening around us. Evaluate your own biases and why you may have been drawn to a particular headline or story. What is your interpretation of it? Why did you react to it that way? Does it challenge your assumptions or tell you what you want to hear? What did you learn about yourself from your interpretation or reaction? 7. Turn to fact-checkers When in doubt, consult trusted fact-checking organizations, such as the International Fact-Checking Network and global news outlets focused on debunking misinformation, including the Associated Press and Reuters. Information, misinformation and disinformation Information is what we call things that are accurate to the best of our current knowledge. For instance, COVID-19 stands for coronavirus disease 2019 and is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One of the difficulties with any new pathogen, like this coronavirus, is that information changes over time as we learn more about the science. Misinformation, on the other hand, is false information. Importantly, it is false information that was not created with the intention of hurting others. Misinformation is often started by someone who genuinely wants to understand a topic and cares about keeping other people safe and well. It is then shared by others who feel the same. Everyone believes they are sharing good information – but unfortunately, they are not. And depending on what is being shared, the misinformation can turn out to be quite harmful. At the other end of the spectrum is disinformation. Unlike misinformation, this is false information created with the intention of profiting from it or causing harm. That harm could be to a person, a group of people, an organization or even a country. Disinformation generally serves some agenda and can be dangerous. During this pandemic, we are seeing it used to try to erode our trust in each other and in our government and public institutions. How to navigate misinformation and disinformation It helps to think of misinformation and disinformation spreading in the same way as viruses. One person might share fake news with their friends and family, and then a handful of them share it with more of their friends and family, and before you know it, potentially harmful or dangerous information is taking over everyone’s newsfeed. But just as we can protect against COVID-19 with hand washing, physical distancing and masks, we can slow down the spread of misinformation and disinformation by practising some information hygiene. Before sharing something, ask yourself these questions: How does this make me feel? Why am I sharing this? How do I know if it’s true? Where did it come from? Whose agenda might I be supporting by sharing it? If you know something is false, or if it makes you angry, don’t share it to debunk it or make fun of it. That just spreads the misinformation or disinformation further. Learn more about how you can report misinformation online. Good places to go for reliable information are the websites of your national Ministry of Health or the World Health Organization. Remember, though: information will change as we learn more about the virus.
Building your Twitter presence: Here are tips from RNAO Social media plays a central role in addressing the pandemic and related issues, including social and environmental determinants of health and assuring health for all. RNAO is committed to building a positive and forceful media presence. We have addressed vaccine hesitancy and the role of social media and expressed concern about the harms of disinformation.
RNAO is now issuing a call for action to engage members and followers in extensive use of social media, in particular Twitter. Twitter is the most effective social media platform to influence journalists, politicians and decision-makers. The following article, prepared by RNAO’s communications team, provides tips and guidance that help build your Twitter presence. It’s vital for nurses to be active and vocal on social media, especially Twitter, to drive change and facilitate discussion on topics related to nursing, health, and health care. RNAO has consistently grown its social media presence over the past few years, knowing that when used strategically and effectively, it can amplify nurses’ voices and mobilize action on key advocacy areas. In the past year alone, RNAO’s social following grew 45% on Instagram, 11% on Twitter and 5% on Facebook due to active engagement and strategic messaging. The main purpose of social media is to inform, engage and inspire followers, and there are many ways to do so effectively. GOALS: Your goals for using social media are fluid and can change as your following and engagement grow. Some of RNAO’s social media goals that you can take and use for your own usage include:
We want to emphasize the words “audiences” and “community” because these are integral to your understanding of social media strategy. Every social media user has audiences – the groups of people that follow you and engage with your content. For example, RNAO’s many audiences include its members, journalists, politicians, partner organizations, public health units, members of the public and academic institutions to name a few. It’s important to identify your audiences and keep them in mind whenever you post to ensure your posts are meaningful and speaking to the correct group(s). RNAO is also active within many communities on social media, both locally and internationally. Its communities are nursing and health care, so it’s important to be part of those conversations by listening and responding to ensure its voice is heard among the other “noise” on social media. Being active on social media doesn’t mean logging in and posting once, then logging off. It means constantly monitoring what your communities are discussing and engaging, when necessary, by liking, responding, retweeting or using relevant hashtags. Before you build your social media audience, you must first build your account. If you’re looking to create a Twitter account, or if you want to improve your current account, here are a couple of tips to consider:
So, you have an account, now what? Here are some key tips on how to be effective:
What of these tips boil down to are the following three questions:
Addressing these three questions before posting will help to ensure your posts are as meaningful and effective as possible to maximize your posts’ reach and amplify your voice in the communities in which you exist. #NursesVoicesMatter
We hope you enjoy your posting and invite you to send us addition tips to Rene Dunkley
POLICY UPDATES FOR ALL TO ACT ON & MUST JOIN EVENTS – OPEN TO ALL
RNAO Action Alerts Take action on Bill 124 and sign the Action Alert. Add your voice to 5,000 others calling on Premier Ford to exempt health-care workers from Bill 124. We also join in the call to #RepealBill124. This is more important than ever as we see a fast deterioration of nursing human resources with colleagues leaving the profession or moving to the United States. See the latest coverage from RN voices Deb Lefebvre here and Birgit Umaigba here. RT all and give your ideas here! Take action on global vaccine access: Sign an Action Alert calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to ensure global vaccine access. Let’s also make sure we urge Prime Minister Trudeau to match President Biden’s commitments to Covax. Call on elected leaders to step up and end the opioid crisis: Sign an Action Alert calling on politicians at all orders of government to work together to save lives and bring this crisis to an end.
June is Pride Month Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to celebrate the history, courage and diversity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Two Spirit communities (2SLGBTQI+). In honour of Pride Month, Pride Toronto will be hosting several virtual events showcasing more than 130 2SLGBTQ+ artists and concluding with two festival weekends on June 18-20 and June 25-27. The Pride parade will also take place again this year virtually on June 27, 2021. As part of this year’s virtual parade, RNAO’s Rainbow Nursing Interest Group has created a video wishing everyone a happy Pride Month. In June, RNAO will also be releasing its newest BPG Promoting 2SLGBTQI+ Health Equity during our 96th Annual General Meeting (AGM). The launch will include a media conference. RNAO will also be releasing its newest position statement on respecting sexually and gender diverse communities at our AGM. To learn more, please see our AGM schedule of events.
RNAO’s AGM program in detail – June 24-26 We are delighted to invite all RNAO members, other health professionals, and members of the public to our 96th Annual General Meeting (AGM) taking place on June 24 – 26, 2021. The theme for this year’s AGM is Protecting Ontarians and Leading Change: Nurses and RNAO during COVID-19. The AGM will highlight the incredible leadership played by RNs, NPs and students in nursing Ontarians during the pandemic, and the role of RNAO and its members advocating for healthy public policies to protect nurses and the public. We have an exciting program of events that will be livestreamed to rnao.ca, Facebook, and YouTube. If you have yet to register, be sure to not miss this awesome event. Register now! We have an exciting three-day program: Thursday, June 24th Opening Ceremonies | 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The opening ceremony is the official kick-off of our AGM. You’ll hear from Ontario’s top political leaders, government officials, and our international nursing colleagues. To top off the evening, we’ll be celebrating our newly designated provincial and international Best Practice Spotlight Organizations (BPSO). Friday, June 25th Annual General Meeting | 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The AGM is a time for members and the board of directors to gather to discuss the required business of the association:
Come and join us on the discussion! Saturday, June 26th Promoting 2SLGBTQI+ Health Equity Best Practice Guideline: Launch & Media Conference 10:45 – 11:15 a.m. RNAO is excited to release its newest Best Practice Guideline (BPG), Promoting 2SLGBTQI+ Health Equity at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). The virtual release will celebrate the rigorous and collaborative efforts by RNAO and a diverse expert panel – consisting of persons with lived experience, activists, nurses and other health providers, researchers, educators and administrators – to publish a much-needed resource with evidence-based recommendations on ways to promote inclusivity and enhance the safety of 2SLGBTQI+ people across health, school and academic settings. The virtual release will be hosted by RNAO President Morgan Hoffarth and will include the co-chairs of the BPG, Sheena Howard, RN, and past president of RNAO’s Primary Care Nurses of Ontario Interest Group, and Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, RN and director of the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Paul-Andre Gauthier, RN and provincial president of RNAO’s Rainbow Nurses’ Interest Group, will also take part as we release a related position statement. Speakers will discuss the important need for this BPG, its purpose and scope, share best practice recommendations, and answer questions from members of the media. Closing Keynote: Protecting Ontarians and leading change: The COVID-19 pandemic as viewed through the eyes and experiences of RNs, NPs and nursing students. 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Concluding the exciting activities is our closing keynote presentation. Moderated by CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun, this presentation will include a panel of RNs, NPs and nursing students in all roles and sectors sharing their experiences working on the frontlines of COVID-19. We look forward to your participation as we celebrate the past year’s achievements. Register now and we’ll see you there!
Webinar: COVID-19 Webinar Series July 12, 2021, 2:00pm - 4:00pm When: Every second Monday of the month RNAO's CEO Doris Grinspun will be hosting COVID-19 webinars for health providers. Topics include:
Health providers from Ontario, Canada, and anywhere in the world are welcome to join at no cost. We are here with you in solidarity. Together, we will continue to tackle COVID-19 with the best tools at hand, including accurate information, calmness, determination and swift actions! Upcoming webinar: July 12, 2021, 2 - 4 p.m. ET Details coming soon. REGISTER NOW Additional date: August 9, 2021, 2 - 4 p.m. ET Details coming soon. Watch the 14 June past webinar: Topic: Update on COVID-19 – Directions from the province and policy implications We are now in the 16th month of COVID-19. Join us for an update on current issues related to this stage in the pandemic. RNAO CEO, Dr. Doris Grinspun outlines recent directions from the province, discusses the policy implications from RNAO’s perspective and has a conversation with participants. Issues discussed include:
Presenter: Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO CEO Watch and read about earlier webinars here.
MOH EOC Situational Report We are posting each day the Daily Situational Reports from Ontario's MOH EOC at RNAO’s website. That way, you can access the Ministry’s guidance at any time. For a more detailed Ontario epidemiological summary from Public Health Ontario, you can always go here. Here is a segment from the last Situation Report #454 for June 18:
Update:
Staying in touch Keeping in touch remains important as we face the pandemic and other challenges in Ontario, in Canada and elsewhere. Feeling that we are part of a community and that we have each other’s backs helps us get through these challenges, becoming better people in the process. We are eager to hear how we, at RNAO, can best support you. Send us your questions, comments, and challenges. Recommend ideas for articles and webinars. Write to me at dgrinspun@rnao.ca and copy my executive assistant, Peta-Gay (PG) Batten at pgbatten@rnao.ca. RNAO’s Board of Directors and our entire staff want you to know: WE ARE HERE FOR YOU! Thank you for being there for your community – everywhere and in all roles! Together, in solidarity, we are strong and resilient. In Canada we see hope at the end of this long pandemic tunnel. Vaccines arrive in large quantities and the rollout is speeding even more. We must not forget, however, about our privilege. Canada has purchased more vaccines than what it needs, while 9 out 10 countries have almost nothing. Like in other challenges we face, such as racism, Islamophobia, and other forms of discrimination, we are not safe until everyone is safe. Vaccines for all – literally for all, across the world – must guide policy in the upcoming 12 months. Let’s learn from the 16-month pandemic and take real action to build a better world. To everyone – THANK YOU! Please take care of yourself and know that RNAO always stands by you! As we have said before – and everyday becomes truer: The silver lining of COVID-19: Coming together and working as one people – for the good of all! Doris Grinspun, RN,MSN, PhD, LLD(hon), Dr(hc), FAAN, FCAN, O.ONT
RECENT BLOG ITEMS: 12 June - RNAO statement on the terrorist attack in London, Ontario – go here. 12 June - Reducing the time interval for second dose after first AstraZeneca dose – go here. 12 June - AstraZeneca second dose: Should I get the same vaccine or Mrna? – go here. 5 June - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The May report – go here. 5 June - RNAO supports Premier Ford's announcement on schools as risk is too high – go here. 29 May - Vaccination passport apps could help society reopen – go here. 29 May - Email updates highlight best new evidence about COVID-19 – go here. 23 May – NPs speak about LTC during the COVID-19 Pandemic – go here. 23 May – Three surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian nurses – go here. 23 May – Exemption of nurses and other health-care workers from Bill 124 – go here. 23 May – RNAO’s statement on the government’s phased-in re-opening plan – go here. 23 May – Remembering Charlotte Noesgaard (1948-2021) – go here. 15 May - Nursing Now Ontario Awards Ceremony – go here. 15 May - Vaccine passports – reason for hope or cause for concern? – go here. 15 May - Government responds to RNAO’s call for increased enrollment in nursing education – go here. 15 May - Second dose vaccination for high-risk healthcare workers in response to RNAO’s call – go here. 8 May - Nurses must be fully vaccinated immediately, RNAO demands – go here. 8 May - A bill to support individuals with assistive devices for mental health – go here. 8 May - Action alert: Ensure global vaccine access, prime minister! – go here. 1 May - RNAO statement on the passing of RN Lorraine Gouveia – go here. 1 May - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The April report – go here. 1 May – RNAO response to Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission report – go here. 24 April - RNAO launches new policy webpages – go here. 24 April – RNAO responds to federal fiscal budget – go here. 17 April - Vaccine engagement as a tool to address marginalization and exclusion – go here. 17 April - Here's how the COVID-19 pandemic could play out in 2021 and beyond – go here. 17 April - Reacting to the latest Ontario government public health measures – go here. 10 April - RNAO and NAN sign Relationship Accord to improve health across NAN Territory – go here. 10 April - RNAO media release on public health measures and vaccination rollout – go here. 10 April - 3 ways to vaccinate the world and make sure everyone benefits, rich and poor – go here. 3 April - Government’s “shutdown” announcement doesn’t go far enough – go here. 3 April - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The March report – go here. 27 Mar - Provincial budget fails to deliver urgent nursing investments to care for Ontarians – go here. 27 Mar - Government's reopening plan threatens the health of Ontarians – go here. 20 Mar - Preliminary results of RNAO‘s Work and Wellbeing Survey – go here. 13 Mar - Getting it right – go here. 13 Mar - RNAO leads dozens of organizations in candlelight vigil – go here. 6 Mar - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The February report – go here. 6 Mar - Communication during a Pandemic: How we can endure the pandemic together – go here. 6 Mar - Webinar: Understanding wellness in Indigenous wisdom traditions for caregivers – go here. We have posted earlier ones in my blog here. I invite you to look.
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