Donations and workshops supporting mental health have been created to local nurses to celebrate National Nursing Week.
This year from May 10th to the 16th, nurses are being celebrated for all the hard work they do for our communities during the annual National Nursing Week. RBC has donated funds to create free mental health support workshops and donated funds to support nurses in Walkerton, Hanover and Owen Sound. The Canadian Mental Health Association will run the workshops. The sessions are customized for nurses and will focus on things like burnout, self-care and de-escalation in crisis which are critical elements of their everyday life on the job.
In addition to the workshops, RBC has donated $10,000 each to the Walkerton and District Hospital Foundation, Hanover and District Hospital Foundation, and Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation to put toward nursing education. COVID-19 has put an extra immense stress on nurses. A January, 2021 study by Stats Canada showed that a majority of Ontario’s nurses, more than 70 percent, said they’ve experienced a “breaking point” throughout the course of the pandemic.
National Nursing Week is held annually in honour of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.
