Ontario has the second-lowest nurse-to-patient ratio in Canada with just seven RNs per 1,000 Ontarians. For every patient added to an average RN's workload, patient risk of complications and death rises by seven per cent. There is a direct link, shown repeatedly in multiple studies, between RN staffing levels and improved outcomes for patients. More than an additional 17,000 RNs are needed in Ontario just to catch up to the average of the rest of the country. RN cut backs (Ontario) Among the many facilities that have already announced RN cuts: Quinte Health Care, Sault Area Hospital, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, North Bay Regional Health Center, St. Francis Memorial Hospital, Bluewater Health, London Health Sciences Center, Health Sciences North, and the long list goes on, more than 400,000 hours of direct patient care will be lost. Four hundred thousand! In 2011, census data showed that among the working-age population, 42.4% were in the age group 45 to 64, a record high proportion. Almost all people aged 45 to 64 in 2011 were baby boomers. 1400 people per day, everyday, in Canada have the same birthday and are turning age 65. It is frightening to think what might happen in the next 10-15 years when the vast majority of our population is retired and in the latter portion of their lives DO NOT wait until you are faced with a situation where you find yourself waiting months on end to get the treatment you need or patient care you deserve. There are solutions available for you that will allow you to be proactive and, in the event you are diagnosed with a critical condition, will give you to access private, out-of-country and/or out-of-province medical treatment. In short, treatment and patient care the moment you need it.