Help reverse the health care cuts

To my elected representatives,

Every day, nurses provide care to Manitobans during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Nurses are a critical part of safe, quality, professional care that ensures every patient has the best possible outcome. They deserve to be supported by a government that values the services they provide.

Unfortunately, government cuts are making it harder for nurses to provide the care they want to give – and that Manitobans deserve. Nurses have been speaking out. They are increasingly feeling stretched thin, and it’s getting even worse with emergency rooms closing, critical services being cut, and more changes on the horizon.

[INSERT PERSONAL STORY HERE]

Instead of cutting vital services, the government should be investing in health care and providing nurses and other health professionals with the infrastructure and resources they need to provide safe, quality care that Manitobans deserve.

I urge you to listen to nurses, reverse the cuts, and put Manitoba’s patients first.

Sincerely,
[Your name will be automatically inserted here]

TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA:

The background to this petition is as follows:

Direct cuts to frontline health care services, including the closure of Emergency Departments, Intensive Care Units, an Urgent Care Centre and more are occurring across the province.
These health cuts will drastically reduce the ability of Manitobans to access timely, quality health care services.
The Provincial Government made these decisions unilaterally, failing to consult with front line health care professionals who provide direct care to patients.
The Provincial Government has had its main focus on the bottom line, and failed to present a clear and detailed plan for the public health care system that will actually improve and optimize patient care for Manitobans.

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

To urge the Provincial Government to reverse the cuts and closures that negatively impact patients’ ability to access timely, quality health care.
To urge the Provincial Government to make real investments in Manitoba’s public health care system that will provide a direct benefit to patients, such as: increasing access to primary care; the development of a provincial health human resource plan; increasing publicly funded personal care homes across Manitoba; and increasing the efficiencies of diagnostic testing in Manitoba’s health facilities.

To my elected representatives,

Over the past few months, the provincial government has made a series of cuts to frontline health care services. These cuts are particularly concerning because they directly impact nurses’ ability to provide safe patient care.

Some of these cuts, such as the announced closure of three Winnipeg Emergency Departments will lead to widespread disruption of health services, as patients try to navigate the new system.

Despite their decision to close ERs, the government has failed to confirm how it will address and improve the delays associated with diagnostic testing and the insufficient supply of health human resources, both of which are documented factors proven to impact ER wait times.

Other cuts, though less publicized, include the refusal to replace the first sick call at several facilities across the province. It is no secret that nurses are already working short staffed, and these cuts put further strain on an already stretched thin nursing workforce.

It is apparent that government is reluctant to invest in innovations that will strengthen our public health care system and has opted to promote strategies that lead us down the path to privatization. This government has already alluded to privatization of diagnostic services, air ambulance services, and private-public partnerships for our long-term care system.

Time and time again Manitobans have placed their trust in our hands by voting nurses as the most trusted voice in health care. This is a role that we take seriously and with it comes great responsibility to not only advocate on behalf of our health care system, but the patients we care for.

A sustainable health system is made up of many interconnected factors, and every reduction in funding and services has far-reaching effects. Our government should be more focused on investing its way to a sustainable health care system, rather than its current strategy of cutting its way out of a deficit.

I urge you to reverse these harmful cuts, and support innovative, long-term strategies such as investment in primary care, a provincial health human resource plan, improving accessibility to diagnostic tests and a long-term care strategy to ensure that all Manitobans have timely access to safe, quality public health care.

Sincerely,

Nurses provide safe, quality patient care to Manitobans every day.

Tell your MLA how critical nurses are to your care

Cuts to front-line services.
Safe patient care at risk.

Nurses provide safe, quality patient care to Manitobans every day.

Tell your MLA how critical nurses are to your care

Cuts to front-line services. Safe patient care at risk.

Cuts to front-line services.
Safe patient care at risk.