Accomplishments: Powerful, action-oriented Leader

Sustainability founded on social and environmental justice.

Fiscal Capacity while Strengthening Medicare

During these turbulent economic uncertainties, opponents to Medicare will perpetuate the myth that Medicare is unsustainable and that privatization and more for-profit health choices are the preferred budgetary choices. Hilda will continue to be an unwavering champion for Medicare writing letters to the Editor, participating in rallies and tours and widely communicating the fact that Medicare is cost-effective. Collectively we must commit to the principle of a single-tier health care system and prevent for-profit clinics from delivering medically necessary health services.

Private Public Partnerships

Hilda will continue to be staunch in voicing strong opposition to public private partnerships and challenge the misinformation and myths that peers and members of the public have and will advocate for not for profit partnerships that are financially more advantageous.

Poverty Reduction

RNAO has identified numerous research sources that clearly establish socio-economic status to be an important determinant of health as well as pollutants, carcinogens and toxics. To further this, Hilda participated in a recent program at the University of Toronto where researchers have identified a link between air pollutants and high poverty rates in 17 Toronto neighbourhoods. Pollution and poverty affects people's mental, physical and emotional health.

During RNAO's Day at Queen's Park, a group including Hilda informed one of Deb Mathews' staff members about strategies for reducing poverty including funding transportation for someone to get to a food bank and not to forget that poverty incorporates not only children but all ages including the elderly. Furthermore, Hilda has joined RNAO at rallies and workshops in advocating for an increase in minimum wage, a housing strategy including more affordable housing, an increase in Child Benefits, and dental care for low-income wage earners and establishing a provincial pharmacare system.

Collectively we must advocate for an increase in minimum wages, a housing strategy, an increase in Ontario Child Benefits and support for parents especially during early childhood.

Environmental Health

RNAO and Hilda believe that the environment is a major determinant of health and that people flourish in clean, green, livable environments (RNAO: Creating a Healthier Society). We cannot be healthy without healthy working, community and home environments. As a member of RNAO's Board of Directors as the Member at Large in Socio-Political Affairs and Chair of the Policy and Development Committee, Hilda led committee members to provide valuable input and advice on Position Statements on Respecting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Environmental Carcinogens and Health.

Hilda was at the press release when McGuinty announced a provincial ban on cosmetic pesticides and introduction of a private bill to ban smoking in cars with small children and planned a community-wide program inviting RNAO's Kim Jarvi at the table to speak about banning of cosmetic pesticides and reduction of toxins in Ontario. She was also at the celebration acknowledging all the hard work and of many partnering Coalition groups to achieve the success of legislation that bans the cosmetic use of pesticides. Hilda has given environmental presentations at RNAO's International Nursing Conference in Beijing, China, at a workshop in Ottawa, to RNAO's Region 6 meeting and to her own community and faith group. As well, she has been a reviewer for each of RNAO's Best Practice Guidelines on Healthy Work Environments and participates on Mount Sinai Hospital's Green Team.

Right to Know Bylaw, Toronto

Hilda was invited to speak to the Toronto Board of Health to enhance RNAO's position that Toronto should have a "Right to Know Bylaw" in which up to 7000 Toronto businesses would disclose 25 particular emissions from their worksites. This will provide more open communications and community outreach between businesses and the communities they are in. This bylaw, the first in Canada, was passed and will take effect in 2011. Until the bylaw is implemented, Toronto Public Health estimates that fully 80% of the toxins released in Toronto are not reported under current (Federal) legislation, because the reporting thresholds are too high. As a result, citizens have no way of knowing about the vast majority of toxic releases in Toronto.

Hilda also increased awareness of this bylaw by incorporating information into her community-wide presentation on March 30th, "Judaism and the Environment".

Home Care

Hilda's personal philosophy and actions are congruent with RNAO's stance against competitive bidding in home care. As such, she stood one morning with the Honourable George Smitherman, then Minister of Health, discussing the advantages of not having competitive bidding as the model for procuring home care funding and contracts.

Hilda was also invited by the three-person panel conducting public hearings in five cities in Ontario to present and then submit a written proposal. She spoke and wrote about funding alternatives to this current competitive bidding process. Panelists Carol Kushner, Patricia Baranek and Marion Dewar included iin their report, recommendation #16, inspired by Hilda's proposal: To further innovation, encourage LHIN's to pilot and evaluate alternative models of allocation, reimbursement, and service delivery in home care. Examples could include Veteran's Independence Program, Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, and Balance of Care, as well as direct service provision by CCAC's. Click here to read the report.

Connective Innovative Partnerships

RNAO is outstanding in building and maintaining collaborative partnerships within nursing and externally. As she represents RNAO as President-Elect and President, she will build on the excellent working relationships she already has established internationally with Nightingale in Beijing, with ONA, CNA, political parties, the Ontario Health Coalition, Toronto Board of Health, George Brown College, Carleton University (abstract accepted for Environmental Conference in May), Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Make Poverty History and 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction.

Electronic Health Records

Are beneficial to patients and she will continue to advocate for continuous expansion and improvements to electronic health records.

Scope of Practice

RNAO and Hilda must continue to advocate for expanding Nurse Practitioner-led clinics while ensuring that other nursing roles such as the Clinical Nurse Specialists are not forgotten or neglected.

Nursing Health Human Resource Strategies

Students are the lifeblood of the nursing profession. Most professions realize that it is essential to mentor their students. In nursing, there are isolated pockets of good mentoring. However, as RNAO's President-Elect Hilda will advocate for implementing the 80/20 strategy for nurses over 55 recognizing that collectively this gap must be addressed.

She is there for nursing students beginning with being there as nursing students come out of their exam centres after writing their RN's and is there for them to hand out granola bars and will be there again on June 4th.

As a mentor, she worked collaboratively with Rob Fraser in planning Region 6's January program on Advocating for the Environment.

She has participated more than once and encourages others to support RNAO's Action Alert in voicing our strong concern that there is a delay in hiring 3000 nurses in this budget.

Mount Sinai Hospital, where Hilda works and is the Workplace Liaison supports RNAO's recruitment initiatives such as the New Grad Initiative and having 70% of its nursing workforce working in full-time positions.

Increasing faculty positions and having a provincial picture of where there are opportunities for clinical placements is essential to ensure that there will be enough nurses in the future.

Workplaces must be Healthy Working Environments free from violence and safe for patients and for staff. Therefore, Hilda has been a reviewer providing input from her experiences to help shape RNAO's six Best Practice Guidelines on Healthy Work Environments including Sustaining Effective Staffing and Workload Practices and Workplace Health, Safety and Well-being of the Nurse

Aging Strategy

Systemic violence in the workplace has increased everywhere. In long-term care facilities violence not only impacts care providers but also providers' families when health care professionals take home their working frustrations. The report identified that there are not enough resources for nurses who are experiencing mental health issues, which is an important part of her platform: Care for the Caregiver.

Hilda has been involved in Town Hall meetings on Aging at Home and urban redesign to ensure that cities are Age Friendly.

With increased funding for home care and assistive housing, more Ontario residents will be able to age at home.

Long Term Care

At a recent workshop on long-term care, many problems were identified. Hilda will advocate that the RNAO continues to address these problems and provide solutions such as perhaps establishing a Best Practice Guideline on continence care and continuing linkages with Coalitions focused on aging.