Fundraising campaign for outspoken nurse surpasses goal

An online crowd sourcing campaign to help a Prince Albert nurse pay a hefty disciplinary fine has surpassed its goal.

Earlier this month, a Gofundme page was setup to help Carolyn Strom, a local nurse, pay $26,000 after she was found of guilty of professional misconduct. The Sask. Registered Nurses Association’s (SRNA) took issue with Strom posting critical comments about a family member’s care on social media.

Since the story broke, Strom received support from fellow nurses across the country. The online fundraising campaign to help pay the fines was started by other nurses.

As of Tuesday, the campaign has raised more than $26,000. The latest update on the website states any additional money will be donated to a senior’s advocacy group.

Natalie Stake-Doucet, a nurse based in Quebec who helped start the online campaign, called the news “fantastic.”

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“It’s hard to believe,” she said in a phone interview with paNOW.com. “We’re still pinching ourselves. It was really a gesture, which we thought would be a more symbolic gesture than anything else and then we ended up raising all of the money in less than two weeks.”

She said she and everyone involved in the campaign are grateful for all the donations and sharing their stories.

In February 2015, Strom criticized the care her grandfather received on Facebook and alleged the facility and employees weren’t providing the best end-of-life care.

Strom is ordered to pay $25,000 by April 1, 2020 and $1,000 by July of this year.

The larger sum is to pay for the investigation and hearing. Failing to pay either will result in Strom’s termination as a nurse.

She plans to appeal the decision.

Stake-Doucet said Strom’s situation struck a cord with Canadians because many have been in similar positions with their family members.

“Some people have had extremely negative experiences when trying to report bad care, bad practices or what they consider bad,” she said. “It might not be necessarily bad but it’s they perceive it as bad. A lot of people feel they aren’t listened to.”

Stake-Doucet said there’s a stigma around nurses and other health professionals voicing complaints about level of care to official channels. Although some institutions are much better at handling complaints than others, she said there does appear to be a theme across the country of official channels not being as effective.

“Across the board, it’s not easy making complaints especially for health-care workers,” she said. “There’s definitely a cone of silence.”

Stake-Doucet explained if Strom is successful with her appeal, the money will go towards covering her legal fees. A senior’s group hasn’t been chosen at the moment but Stake-Doucet added she and the other nurses are taking suggestions.

Although Strom and Stake-Doucet have never met face-to-face, the two have been in touch. Stake-Doucet described her fellow nurse as being extremely gracious, nice and kind.

Strom told paNOW.com on Tuesday hearing the news comes as a huge relief.

“I never thought the money could be raised that quickly,” she said. “This sure does a lot to take away some of my stress. I was not doing well with trying to imagine how I’d come up with that huge amount of money. I would like to thank each and every person, who donated and commented kindly on my page, for their generosity and support.”

Jeff.labine@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @labinereporter