We recognize that access to services, whether it’s primary care, emergency and acute care, or laboratory and medical imaging services is of utmost importance to the communities we serve. We also know that staffing shortages and recruitment and retention challenges are not unique to the Northern Health region.
With the support of the Ministry of Health, and in collaboration with partners including Divisions of Family Practice, post-secondary institutions, and community stakeholders, NH is working hard to attract and retain the skilled health professionals needed to maintain and improve services in Northern BC.
Health Human Resources (HHR) strategy
Northern Health and the Ministry of Health work in partnership to identify the ongoing and growing health care needs of Northern communities, and invest in improving staff recruitment and retention under BC’s Health Human Resources (HHR) strategy. Our goal is that this work will help us add and retain the staff we need to ensure high-quality patient care.
Some highlights of the work being done to help stabilize services across the region include:
- Expansion of BC’s comprehensive health care worker rural retention program to include more Northern BC communities.
- This $6.38 million announcement by the Ministry of Health in September included funding for a prototype rural retention incentive, and includes communities in Hudson’s Hope, Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Hazelton, Prince Rupert, and (following a recent expansion) Haida Gwaii.
- Offering financial incentives and supports like travel, housing and childcare for priority health care workers for targeted Northern communities and occupations.
- Ongoing recruitment of and incentives for nursing staff.
- The GoHealth BC travel nursing program, which is a creative, innovative, and flexible approach to serving rural and remote communities.
We look forward to providing regular updates on what we’re doing to recruit and retain staff in the Northern BC region. More information about the Province of BC’s Health Human Resource (HHR) strategy can be found here: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/health-care/