There’s overcrowding at Brandon Regional Health Centre’s Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – and it’s not babies – it’s nurses needing space to decompress.
The hospital converted a break room to a family room, which is a positive move, but now 81 NICU and maternity ward nurses must share one room. The Manitoba Nurses Union says nurses do not feel there’s enough space to shake off the stress of their jobs.
The overcrowding is expected to ease once the NICU expansion is finished by 2025.
The Manitoba Nurses Union drew attention to the issue in a social media post today. The post reads:
“After posting one nurse’s call out this morning, we have received several comments about the NICU break room in Brandon. And here are a few things we’d like everyone to know.
1. Our goal here at MNU is ALWAYS to foster solidarity amongst our members.
2. We will always stand up for better conditions (two break rooms AND a family room, for example) for all nurses.
3. Nurses are NOT getting the supports they need.
We need to STOP pitting one unit against the other. We need to support each other to fight the good fight. We need to think about how we treat each other – on the wards and at Central Office.
Because when we do, when we see the world from other perspectives, we ALL win.
After posting (on Tuesday) about a letter from a nurse who lost her life, our inbox has been flooded with messages of support. But we have also received messages of empathy. Other nurses who too, are feeling the frontline pain.
In light of Tuesday’s post, it is imperative that staff be given the space they need to decompress. That they be encouraged to take breaks for the sake of their mental health. That they process traumatic situations. Together and alone.”
