Today Manitoba Nurses Union launched a new radio ad campaign that highlights the importance of staying safe this summer, especially in light of the critical nursing shortage in our province.

These new radio PSAs will be running on the Corus radio station 680 CJOB. They feature MNU President Darlene Jackson, and this is her message:

“Summer is often referred to on the frontlines as the season of trauma, there are more motor vehicle accidents, sports-related traumas, falls, and water-related injuries. As you know, there are also fewer nurses on the frontline than ever before. Manitoba is in a critical nursing shortage and our health care system is suffering. On behalf of myself and all of our members, please look out for each other and enjoy the season, but stay safe.”

It is our hope that Manitobans will heed our message and keep safe this summer, as we are hearing from members each and every day about the severe short-staffing their workplaces are going through.

In our social media posts, we are continuously applying pressure. Most recently, in the form of “S.O.S.” messages, where we shared stories from members that came in to us as calls for help. Please check them out on our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages (links below under MNU Social Media).

These posts have been garnering overwhelmingly positive responses from the public, including this message via Twitter: “Unfortunately this is pervasive across the province. Would be nice to see some acknowledgment and planning as to how these staffing shortages will be addressed”; and this one via Facebook: “The ones who maybe could make a difference chose to close ER's, cut staff etc & now want to make themselves look good by saying “we add seats, we build whatever wherever” but I question who will staff this??”

We will continue to bring to the forefront the situation that so many of you are facing, to continue the pressure on the provincial government to come up with solutions to the nurse staffing crisis.