Possibility of unvaccinated health-care workers underscores 'crisis': expert - CTV News

As Ontario’s beleaguered health-care system faces critical staffing shortages, particularly among registered nurses, some hospitals are looking at the possibility of hiring unvaccinated workers to boost care capacity.
And the decision to modify policies to bring in unvaccinated workers speaks to the larger issue at hand around health-care settings failing to attract and retain workers, Ivy Bourgeault, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa and the Canada Research Chair in Comparative Health Labour Policy, told CTV’s Your Morning Tuesday.
“Because of the crisis situation we’re in, many people are grasping at straws in order to keep their hospitals open,” she said.
“This is the downward spiral that we talk about. There are very high levels of workload, that is leading to very high levels of burnout,” she said.
Attrition can involve health-care workers exiting the field entirely or simply moving to fewer hours to cope with burnout, she said.
In a memo obtained by CTV News last week, Mandy Dobson, Interim Director of Clinical Services at South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC), said the health network is conducting a review of its COVID-19 vaccination policy.
In the memo, Dobson referred to “significant health human resource challenges” that have led to closures of Emergency Departments at the SBGHC’s hospitals in Kincardine, Walkerton, Chesley, and Durham.
Across Ontario and multiple other provinces including B.C., Alberta and Manitoba, a surge of respiratory syncytial virus, a flu epidemic, and COVID-19 has overwhelmed pediatric ICUs and led to not only shut-downs but increased ER wait times.
Health-care networks in most provinces have axed vaccination requirements for its staff. Nova Scotia and B.C. are the remaining jurisdictions where the provincial governments mandate vaccinations for health-care workers. In Ontario, while the province dropped its mandate for health-care workers in March, most hospitals continue to enforce their own mandates.
The SBGHC is the only hospital network in Ontario that has signalled a possible move to opening its doors to unvaccinated workers. In response to a CTV report published Dec.10 on the memo, the Ontario Hospital Association sent an email to leadership staff that emphasized the importance of vaccines. It continues to recommend that hospitals implement mandatory vaccination.
Even the consideration of allowing unvaccinated workers back into the health-care system during a pandemic should raise alarms that employee retention issues have reached a critical stage, said Bourgeault.
“What exacerbates that issue…as issues of poor pay, feeling that you aren’t recognized for the work that you do, not being given rights in terms of collective bargaining,” she said.
As well, as wait times increase and patients become frustrated, those feelings end up being taken out on health-care workers, she said.
While staffing concerns were an issue prior to the pandemic, worker burnout, and concerns about pay and treatment have only worsened since 2020, she said.
A study by Statistics Canada published in June found that 92 per cent of nurses reported feeling more stressed at work during the period between September 2021 and November 2021.
Nurses were also more likely to report that they intended on changing or leaving their current job in the next three years. Job vacancies from the fourth quarter of 2021 indicated that there were 126,000 positions open in the health-care and social assistance sectors, the report stated.
Competitive compensation and workloads that will allow nurses to provide the care they are trained to do and want to provide will help, Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, told CTV National News last week.
“We have a really vicious situation here that we have to turn around,” said Bourgeault.
Track COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and wastewater numbers across Canada
How do Canadian provinces and territories compare to American states?
Curious how different countries are faring? Chart and compare the curves using our interactive graphs
Sign up to receive the most important updates in your inbox two times a week
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is trying to find the dividing line between guns suitable for hunting and ones that have no place in society because they pose significant dangers in the wrong hands.

Canada could soon see a growing number of women behind the wheels of semi-trucks, if what has happened in the U.S. trucking industry these last few years is any indication

Ozempic, a drug approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, is in short supply in the U.S. after social media and prominent figures popularized the medication as a solution for weight loss.

The number of complaints about the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) filed with the taxpayers’ watchdog more than doubled in the last fiscal year compared to pre-pandemic numbers, according to Taxpayers' Ombudsperson Francois Boileau.

A massive storm blowing across the United States Tuesday spawned several tornadoes that wrecked buildings and injured a handful of people in Oklahoma and Texas, left two people missing in Louisiana and saw much of the central U.S. bracing for blizzard-like conditions.

International Trade Minister Mary Ng apologized Tuesday after the federal ethics commissioner concluded she broke the rules by awarding a contract to a friend.

Two Alabama women have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes because of their efforts to feed and trap stray cats.

A recently published list ranks 51 Canadian cities according to how child-friendly they are, with Quebec City at the top as the best city to raise children.

The federal government says it will provide more funding for a program aimed at bringing skilled refugees to Canada.

A Vatican cardinal sued a Canadian woman for defamation in a Canadian court on Tuesday after she accused him of sexual assault while he was archbishop of Quebec.

Retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour accused military leaders of dragging their feet when it comes fighting sexual misconduct in the ranks on Tuesday, even as Defence Minister Anita Anand staked her reputation on their success or failure.

Canada could soon see a growing number of women behind the wheels of semi-trucks, if what has happened in the U.S. trucking industry these last few years is any indication

A 21.45-hectare island just off the coast of Vancouver Island has been donated to the Islands Trust Conservancy, marking the largest single gift the group has ever received.

The Royal Canadian Air Force says two military officers have been handed reprimands and minor suspensions of pay for failing to enforce the military's orders on preventing and addressing sexual misconduct.

A celebratory crowd of thousands bundled up on a chilly Tuesday afternoon to watch U.S. President Joe Biden sign gay marriage legislation into law, a joyful ceremony that was tempered by the backdrop of an ongoing conservative backlash over gender issues.

Thousands of protesters marched through the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki and the capital Athens Tuesday night, as Roma community leaders appealed for calm hours after the death of a teenager shot in the head last week during a police chase over an allegedly unpaid gas station bill.

Soldiers from India and China clashed last week along their disputed border, India's defence minister said Tuesday, in the latest violence along the contested frontier since June 2020, when troops from both countries engaged in a deadly brawl.

Iran executed a second prisoner on Monday convicted over crimes committed during the nationwide protests challenging the country's theocracy, publicly hanging him from a construction crane as a gruesome warning to others.

Two Alabama women have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes because of their efforts to feed and trap stray cats.

European affairs ministers from the 27 EU nations agreed Tuesday to endorse a recommendation from the bloc's executive arm to grant Bosnia candidate member status as the war in Ukraine accelerates the bloc's enlargement process.

International Trade Minister Mary Ng apologized Tuesday after the federal ethics commissioner concluded she broke the rules by awarding a contract to a friend.

The federal and provincial governments appear deadlocked in their negotiations on the future of health care in Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's latest comments suggests he will not be the one to blink first.

Canadian Blood Services says it's been successful in attracting new donors, but a slew of unfilled or cancelled appointments over the past few months has left the blood supply lower than it would like.

Ozempic, a drug approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, is in short supply in the U.S. after social media and prominent figures popularized the medication as a solution for weight loss.

As Canadian hospitals face a surge in patients with respiratory illnesses, some facilities have decided to postpone or even cancel certain surgeries. Has your surgery been delayed or cancelled? Has this happened to your child or someone you are the caregiver for? If so, we want to hear from you.

Travel will become easier for people with limited mobility at Winnipeg’s airport.

What's a dust devil sound like on Mars? A NASA rover by chance had its microphone on when a whirling tower of red dust passed directly overhead, recording the racket.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday about a 'major scientific breakthrough' at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of several sites worldwide where researchers have been trying to develop the possibility of harnessing energy from nuclear fusion.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said Tuesday that Adam Sandler would receive The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor award at a gala on March 19.

Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, began his 18 months of mandatory military service at a front-line South Korean boot camp Tuesday as fans gathered near the base to say goodbye to their star.

Two songwriters have dropped their lawsuit claiming Grammy-winning musician Taylor Swift copied their lyrics in her 2014 No. 1 hit 'Shake It Off,' according to court documents filed on Monday.

Canada could soon see a growing number of women behind the wheels of semi-trucks, if what has happened in the U.S. trucking industry these last few years is any indication

Job search company Indeed says postings on its site for Canadian tech roles have dropped 32 per cent since May and are showing no signs of stabilizing as the sector grapples with layoffs.

Beatriz Muller entered her gingerbread creation into the 30th anniversary of the U.S. National Gingerbread House Competition.

The window to send cards and parcels via Canada Post in time for the holidays will soon be closing, with the first deadline approaching on Dec 16.

Frankie Allison’s green thumb has baffled Maritime gardeners for over two decades. The Upper Hammonds Plains, N.S., man is believed to have one of the largest poinsettias.

Fox Sports will keep on broadcasting Major League Soccer games in the U.S. as part of a four-year agreement, ending the run of ESPN and ABC, which had carried matches since the league launched in 1996. MLS also announced linear television agreements with TSN on Tuesday.

When, or if, Brittney Griner plans to return to the WNBA and the Phoenix Mercury, is undecided, her agent says.

A new survey reveals that interest in the national men's soccer team has grown in Canada following its appearance at the World Cup.

Stellantis is recalling about 1.4 million pickup trucks worldwide because the tailgates may not close completely and cargo could spill onto the road.

Most small SUVs flunked the latest frontal crash tests done by the insurance industry, but oddly enough, they're just as safe as they were before.

According to newly released transit data, Toronto public transit users may have one of the longest commutes in North America.

source

Possibility of unvaccinated health-care workers underscores 'crisis': expert – CTV News

Leave a Comment Cancel reply