RNAO offers deepest condolences after tragic day in Attawapiskat

Press Release

April 11, 2016

The Attawapiskat First Nation is reeling after a recent suicide crisis intensified over the weekend. The remote community of about 2,000 residents declared a state of emergency following 11 suicide attempts in a single day. This comes on the heels of 28 suicide attempts in March, and more than 100 since September.

Ontario’s registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP) and nursing students offer our deepest condolences to the community in this time of tragedy. Our hearts go out to the people of Attawapiskat, and we offer our full support as health practitioners, as fellow Ontarians, and as friends.

We understand a crisis response team, including mental health nurses, has been dispatched to Attawapiskat, and both the provincial and federal health ministers have pledged to move swiftly to address this emergency. Now is the time to work together, and move forward with decisive actions to bring about substantive solutions that will help heal the community.

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