April 27, 2026
St. John’s, NL – The Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador (RNU) has launched a new public campaign calling for action to strengthen healthcare by addressing nursing staffing challenges across the province.
Centred on the message “Safe Staffing Saves,” the campaign encourages Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to contact their Members of the House of Assembly (MHAs) and call for investments that stabilize the nursing workforce and improve access to care.
Across the province, patients and families are facing growing uncertainty about when—and where—they will be able to access care. Patients are waiting longer in emergency departments, struggling to find primary care, and facing delays that can turn routine care into more serious health issues.
In rural and remote communities, those pressures can mean travelling long distances for basic services—or wondering what will be left of healthcare close to home. No one should feel they have to leave their community just to access care.
At the same time, nurses and other healthcare professionals are trying to meet complex patient needs while working short staffed. Chronic vacancies, mandated overtime, and denied leave requests increase burnout and make it harder to provide the consistent, safe care Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve.
Government is currently undertaking the first comprehensive assessment of nursing staffing needs in more than 40 years. To get a full picture of nursing realities—and to make meaningful improvements—this review must be completed and acted on.
“Safe staffing is what makes a healthcare system reliable,” said RNU President Yvette Coffey. “It means having the right number of nurses, with the right skills, in the right places—so patients receive safe, professional care. Without it, delays increase, services become unstable, and people are left waiting when they need care most.”
Safe staffing saves patients. Safe staffing saves nurses. Safe staffing saves healthcare.
When care is timely and delivered by the right mix of nursing expertise, problems are caught earlier, complications are avoided, and fewer patients experience preventable delays or longer hospital stays—saving money and scarce healthcare resources in the long run.
RNU is bringing forward practical, province-wide solutions to stabilize staffing and expand access to care: investing in recruitment and retention, expanding Nurse Practitioner services, and reducing reliance on costly private agencies so resources stay in the public system.
The union is also calling for modern, evidence-informed staffing models and stronger supports for nursing students—such as paid clinical placements—to help build a stable, sustainable workforce for the future.
RNU is urging Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to take action today by sending a message to their MHA calling for safe staffing, sharing the campaign with friends and family, and asking government to take immediate steps to strengthen healthcare in every region of the province.
Send a message to your MHA here:
https://win.newmode.net/registerednursesunionofnewfoundlandandlabrador/safestaffingsaves
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About the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador
The Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador represents over 6,000 registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, and nurse practitioners across the province, advocating for quality health care, safe working conditions, and respect for the nursing profession.
For more information, please contact:
Jonathan Hamel
Director of Communications
Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador
Tel: (709) 691-6890
Email: jhamel@rnunl.ca
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