Headwaters gets funding boost for National Nursing Week

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in honour of National Nursing Week (May 10-16) is donating funds to help support local nurses. 

Headwaters Healthcare Foundation has received $10,000 in funding to go towards support for the education and training of nurses. Headwaters is among 13 local hospital foundations, which includes those in the regions of Halton, Grey, Bruce, Guelph-Wellington, Huron-Perth, and Oxford, to receive the donation. RBC donated a total of $120,000. 

“Hospitals are critically important to the health and wellbeing of our communities. We're so proud to present $10,000 to Headwaters Healthcare Foundation as part of our overall commitment this year of $120,000 to nursing in local communities across Southwestern Ontario,” said Melanie Renon, regional vice president of Central Shores, RBC. 

The RBC Foundation started the charitable initiative in 2009, and has since donated over $1 million to support nurses. 

In addition to the funding the foundation has also created mental health workshops specifically curated for nurses. The free session include morning, afternoon, and evening editions to provide flexibility for nurses working shifts, and will be focused on topics such as burnout, self-care, and de-escalation in crisis. The sessions are also designed and run by nurses including those from Headwaters.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put extra strain on Ontario's rural nurses. According to a Statistics Canada survey from
January of this year, more than 70 per cent of nurses said they experienced a ‘breaking point' throughout the pandemic. Another Statistics Canada survey of 18,000 healthcare workers across Canada showed that nurses reported worse mental health than other health-care workers, with 37 percent saying they had poor mental health compared to 27 per cent of physicians. 

“Thank you RBC for your ongoing commitment to support nursing education at Headwaters Health Care Centre. The nursing staff are grateful to participate in virtual mental health and wellness webinars and invest in their own well-being. Our nurses and their colleague have been working especially hard during the pandemic to support the health care needs of our community,” said Kim Delahunt, president and CEO of Headwaters Health Care Centre. 

National Nursing Week (May 10-16) is held in honour of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, and is designed to increase the awareness of the contributions nursing makes to the wellbeing of Canadians.