Halifax – CUPE hospital workers in Nova Scotia are tackling one of the leading causes of death in our country – HAI’s or Healthcare Acquired Infections, often referred to as ‘Superbugs’ – with a province-wide tour and campaign.
They’ll be taking their message to the public this summer and fall at 15 major events across the province, from the Buskers Festival in Halifax to the Wharf Rat Motorcycle Rally in Digby and much more.
CUPE Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Cheryl Burbidge explains why they’re taking the issue on, “HAI’s can have devastating emotional, financial, and medical effects. In fact, they kill between 8,000 and 12,000 Canadians a year.
“That makes them the fourth leading cause of death for Canadians (behind cancer, heart disease and stroke),” she says.
Under the campaign slogan “Help hospital workers fight Superbugs! It’s in Your Hands”, CUPE hospital workers will be handing out tens of thousands of free hand sanitizers at these public events, as well as literature on how the public can help in the fight through simple hand-washing and other measures.
They’ll also be handing out stickers and removable tattoos of ‘cartoon microbes’ to children to get them talking about the importance of hand-washing.
The union will be running an outdoor advertising campaign over the summer months, on billboards, bus ads and transit shelters in HRM.
A full schedule of CUPE’s HAI Tour
ATTENTION ASSIGNMENT/PHOTO EDITORS:
The first tour event is this weekend, June 20 at the 2014 Multicultural Festival near Halifax’s Pier One.