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A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET
Canada's Health Care Crisis DR. NP MICHELLE ACORN:
The Trusted Voice and Leader of Ontario’s Nurse Practitioners Dr. NP Michelle Acorn is a seasoned advocate and well respected leader of Nurse Practitioners at all levels of government.
D NP ACORN REMAINS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE ADVOCACY FOR ONTARIO’S NPS.
To learn more about NPs and how they support patients across all sectors, visit npao.org.
r. NP Michelle Acorn is a passionate advocate and leader for the advancement of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) practice in Ontario and across the global stage. NP Acorn has over 35 years of nursing, health systems, and leadership experience. Prior to her role as CEO of the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO), she served as the inaugural Chief Nurse with the International Council of Nurses, as well as the Provincial Chief Nursing Officer in Ontario where she provided ministerial strategic leadership and expertise. NP Acorn is a proven healthcare leader with the expertise that drives innovation and excellence. Her diverse clinical expertise includes practicing in the Emergency, as a Hospitalist, innovating GAIN (Geriatric Assess-
ment and Intervention Networks), and pioneering the most responsible provider (MRP) impacts of a NP-led model of inpatient hospital care as well as NP primary care models in corrections. Michelle is recognized as a credible clinician and thought leader and for her leadership, mentorship, teaching, and scholarship locally to globally. NP Acorn remains at the forefront of the advocacy for Ontario’s NPs. At a time of a healthcare crisis in Ontario, NP Acorn and NPAO continue to spearhead the promotion of NPs as healthcare leaders and advocate for innovative flexible funding models to empower the NP practice. She works with all entities of the provincial government to shape policies that address gaps in care, improve access, and promote better health outcomes for Ontarians.
“OBVIOUS, EVIDENCEBACKED SOLUTION”:
NPs are Here to Help Healthcare With millions of Ontarians struggling to access primary care, NPs represent an obvious, evidence-backed solution for the province’s healthcare crisis.
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n an increasingly turbulent political environment, addressing the healthcare crisis and connecting communities with primary care must remain top priorities for the next provincial government. The Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO) is confident that, with the right support from policy-makers, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) can close the critical gap in healthcare and deliver the timely, high-quality services that patients deserve. It’s simpler than you might think. NPs are healthcare leaders. They have the clinical background, training, and expertise to take on leadership roles within the healthcare system, lead interprofessional care teams, and contribute to the province’s development of practical, patient-centered policies. In addition to primary care, they provide specialty services across all sectors. There must be a shift in focus from only viewing NPs as clinicians to recognizing them as the leaders they are, leveraging their skills to drive system and organizational improvements and positive patient outcomes.
NPs are healthcare leaders. By implementing flexible funding models to include NPs in public health plans, as directed in the latest Canada Health Act interpretation letter, the next provincial government can empower and enable NPs to get care
to communities in need. NPs must be at the table during all these discussions and negotiations. As leaders in healthcare, their voices, perspectives, and expertise carry heavy weight in helping decision-makers shape policies that address gaps in care, improve access, and promote better health outcomes.
NURSE PRACTITIONERS (NPS) CAN CLOSE THE CRITICAL GAP IN HEALTHCARE AND DELIVER THE TIMELY, HIGH-QUALITY SERVICES THAT PATIENTS DESERVE. NPAO is committed to working with the next provincial government to advance the needs of NPs and connect patients across the province with the timely, high-quality care they deserve. As NPs working for NPs, we strive to deliver exceptional healthcare for all, grounded in the evidence that NPs make critical contributions to our healthcare system and Ontarians’ quality of life.
Learn more about NPs and how to support their full integration into Ontario’s public healthcare system at npao.org.
This article was sponsored by Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario.
Publisher: Mubarak Mohamed Strategic Account Director: Jessica Golyatov Content Strategy Manager: Nicole Kansakar Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Production & Delivery Manager: Michael Taylor Creative Director: Kylie Armishaw Digital Designer: Miranda Robinson Digital Media Manager: Karm Rathod All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve Toronto Life Magazine or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.