Innovation Notebook
Hamilton Spectator
Union leader recognized
Hamilton nurse and provincial union leader Linda Haslam-Stroud is being given a lifetime achievement award by her peers for her advocacy.
Haslam-Stroud is the longest-serving president of the Ontario Nurses' Association at 14 years and counting.
What started as a quest to get her wedding day off has since become 38 years of leadership in the union representing 64,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals as well as 16,000 students.
The St. Joseph's Healthcare renal-transplant nurse is being recognized by the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario which advocates for the profession.
The professional association particularly praised the campaign Haslam-Stroud spearheaded in October 2015 called "The Truth Hurts" to stop the elimination of registered nurse positions in hospitals. In addition, she's spoken out against workplace violence, fought for pay equity and addressed privacy concerns for vulnerable groups.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Linda Haslam-Stroud
This award is bestowed on long-standing members of the RNAO who exemplify outstanding contributions to the profession of nursing in the areas of practice, education, administration or research, at the provincial, national and/or international levels. This includes activities that promote the association among nursing colleagues, the government and other health-care partners.
Linda Haslam-Stroud says she never imagined she would be the nursing advocate she is today. Provincial president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) for the last 14 years (a total of 38 years as an ONA leader), and an RNAO member since 2002, Linda has made great strides to act as a champion for the profession and for patients. In October 2015, she spearheaded a campaign entitled The Truth Hurts. Nurses know. to stop the elimination of RN positions in hospitals. Every year, she also organizes a human rights and equity caucus for nurses to come together to discuss privacy concerns for vulnerable groups such as nurses with mental health issues. She also continues to advocate for issues such as workplace violence and pay equity for nurses. She has worked with RNAO on several important issues, including nursing shortages across the province, and ensuring full-time employment for nurses. “We’re two (RNAO and ONA) very strong organizations with different mandates, but we have a lot in common to improve the work life of nurses and ensure RNs and NPs are appropriately respected and utilized in the health-care system,” she says.
