Funding Supports Nursing In Bella Bella, Powell River
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
2007HEALTH0154-001595
Dec. 10, 2007
Ministry of Health
POWELL RIVER – The Province has awarded a total of $62,732 in funding to Bella Bella’s R.W. Large Memorial Hospital and the Tla’Amin Community Health Board Society in Powell River as part of B.C.’s Aboriginal Nursing Strategies, a provincewide initiative to improve opportunities for Aboriginal nursing in B.C., Health Minister George Abbott announced today.“One of our key goals is to ensure that we close the gaps in Aboriginal health care in this province, and this year we have allocated $500,000 in funding to assist in the implementation of a variety of exciting projects that will directly benefit Aboriginal communities and will help raise the profile of Aboriginal nursing in B.C.,” said Abbott.
Aboriginal nursing projects receiving funding through the Ministry of Health’s Nursing Directorate must focus on at least one of four main goals:
· Encouraging Aboriginal students to consider nursing as a career and supporting Aboriginal students currently enrolled in nursing programs;
· Recruiting and retaining Aboriginal nurses;
· Supporting nursing in Aboriginal communities in B.C.; and
· Developing health promotion and disease prevention materials for B.C.’s Aboriginal communities.
The R.W. Large Memorial Hospital and Tla’Amin Community Health Board Society projects are two of 15 projects receiving funding through Aboriginal Nursing Strategies for 2007/2008.
“This announcement is exciting news for this health region and for the future of Aboriginal health care in B.C.,” said Ida Goodreau, president and chief executive officer of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. “Nurses are a key component of health-care teams across this province and these projects are committed to ensuring community-focused care for the Aboriginal communities they serve.”
The R.W. Large Memorial Hospital project received $32,800 in funding and its primary goal is to develop a skills upgrade program for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, residential care aides and home support worker in order to meet local hospital and community needs. The project will place a special emphasis on education that relates to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the elderly and emergency response skills.
“This funding provides us with a wonderful opportunity to ensure that our nursing staff, care aides and support workers receive the most up-to-date and community-relevant training possible,” said Wendy MacDonald, chief operating officer for R.W. Large Memorial. “We have designed this program with a focus on improving the quality of health care for the community of Bella Bella.”
The Tla’Amin Community Health Board Society was awarded $27,988 for the Tut Te Me Whah Thote (Making Myself Better) project. This project will focus on providing the current nursing staff of the society’s Traditional Wellness Place program with the knowledge and tools to most effectively recognize mental health issues.
“We will use community-based planning as a tool to work towards positive health outcomes for the people of this community and the best career opportunities for program staff,” said Laurette Bloomquist, executive director of the Tla’Amin Community Health Board Society. “The knowledge base developed during the course of this project will allow us to focus on prevention, early identification and treatment of mental health illnesses, and to improve access to mental health services for patients and their families.”
In June 2007, the Ministry of Health issued a request for proposals for Aboriginal nursing projects for 2007/2008. All funded projects must be completed by March 31, 2008 and the lead of each project is required to submit a final evaluation report to the ministry by April 15, 2008.
Since 2001, the Province has invested $174 million towards B.C.’s Nursing Strategy with a focus on educating, recruiting and retaining qualified nurses.
For more information about Aboriginal Nursing Strategies, please visit www.health.gov.bc.ca/ndirect/.
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Media contact:
Marisa Adair
Communications Director
Ministry of Health
250 952-1889
250 920-8500 (cell)
