The Victorian Order of Nurses announced Wednesday that it’s also decreasing the size of its head office in Ottawa by 23 per cent in order to better serve clients and provincial government partners in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
VON has filed for protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. VON's operations in Ontario and Nova Scotia are not included in this restructuring and will remain intact.
"We have had to make some hard choices about where we are able to make a difference in the lives of the greatest number of people," president and CEO Jo-Anne Poirier said in a news release. "We are closing our smaller operations in six provinces and streamlining our head office to free up capacity to respond to opportunities in Ontario and Nova Scotia, where we believe we have the best opportunities for sustainability and growth.”
In total, 352 of 6,446 employees are affected by this restructuring.
Like many organizations in the health care sector, VON has been challenged to serve a growing number of clients with finite resources. This restructuring allows VON to focus resources on core service areas where economies of scale can be achieved.
"This has been a very difficult decision. We regret the impact these changes will have on affected clients and staff, and supporting them as we move through this process is our first priority.”
VON Cumberland has been serving the Amherst area since 1938 and the entire county since 1999. Its programs include Meals on Wheels, Home Support, nursing visits, foot care clinics, home exercise, adult day programs, safety check-in and Vial of Life.
Nationally, VON was established in1897.
