Ontario nurses begin Code Black and Blue campaign
By Derek Winkler
The Toronto-based Ontario Nurses’ Association has begun a new advertising campaign called “Code Black and Blue,” intended to raise awareness of the issue of workplace violence in the health care sector. The five-week campaign depicts real nurses discussing workplace violence. It consists of transit shelter, television, newspaper and social media advertising in Ontario.
“ONA is calling a ‘Code Black and Blue’ in our new advertising campaign,” says Erin Ariss, provincial president of the association. “With virtually every nurse and health care professional experiencing workplace violence, we are using the phrase to reveal the reality of a bruised and battered workforce and call a code for urgent action as we do in our hospitals. Ontarians are not used to seeing nurses be vulnerable, but it's important that people understand what we are experiencing while at work and what is driving so many away from their jobs.”