Ohio Nurse - June 2022

Page 16 Ohio Nurse June 2022
Nurse Rally at the Statehouse
ONA was honored to be asked by Nurse March-Ohio to help organize the Nurse Rally at the Statehouse
Ohio Nurse March a Success
Barbara Brunt, MA, MN, RN, NPDA-BC, NE-BC
The Ohio Nurse March was held May 12, 2022 at
the Statehouse. There was an article about this event in
the March issue of Ohio Nurse, and this is a follow-up
article after the event based on an interview with Ashley
Lantto, RN, the Ohio organizer for this rally. Ashley
works as a rehabilitation nurse in Columbus.
Ashley suffered an on-the-job injury (concussion) in
October and that was part of the impetus for organizing
this event. It was her first time planning an event like
this and she really appreciated the support from ONA.
Approximately 250-300 nurses attended this event,
which focused on nurses taking a stand for: safe
nurse-to-patient ratios, stronger workplace violence
legislation, fair wages and benefits, no capping of nurse
wages, and equality in healthcare.
Ashley noted it was great having legislators come
out and hearing nurses speak about their experiences.
Often nurses get caught in a vacuum and think they are
alone. It is beneficial hearing other nurses share similar
experiences. Her hope is that the legislators listened to
the nurses and nurses need to make sure that they talk
with their legislators.
It is critical that all nurses become more informed,
vote, and reach out to their legislators. Ashley states
the only way to make meaningful change is through
legislators, so it is critical to vote for legislators who
support nursing. Ashley encouraged nurses to write
their legislators and set up group appointments to meet
with them.
When asked about lessons learned, Ashley stated
although she hopes we do not need another march
next year, and if they have this march next year, she will
make sure there is more team involvement. It takes a
village to plan an event like this. She got there at 8:00
am, well before the event started at 10:00am, and got
sick from the heat in the afternoon.
Feel free to find more resources about safe
staffing and nursing and healthcare legislation at
ohnursemarch.org and by following Nurse March Ohio
on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.