How will care providers in the B.C. Interior find enough workers?

Featured image: Lynda Foley, RN, Chief Nursing Officer & Vice President Quality, Park Place Seniors Living

Citizens in the British Columbia Interior are being made aware of significant challenges being faced by their local seniors care providers around staffing. Now, several organizations have banded together and are calling for the B.C. government to intervene and take long-over measures to prevent an outright crisis. On Monday, BC Care Providers Association, on behalf of several care homes based in the Interior sent a correspondence to B.C. Premier John Horgan to take action, declaring the current situation facing care home operators as an “emergency” meriting an immediate political response.

Thankfully, several media outlets including Global News Okanagan, CBC Radio in Kelowna and Radio NL in Kamloops have taken an active interest in this critical local issue. We have shared some of that content below.

It is hoped that MLAs will pay attention to this emerging challenge whether they are based in the Interior, Vancouver Island, or in the northern part of the province where staff shortages have reached crisis proportions. By thinking “outside-the-box” the B.C. government can easily remove significant barriers enforced by the BC Care Aide Registry that prevent qualified job candidates from neighbouring Alberta and Saskatchewan from taking positions in the Interior.

Readers based in the Interior are encouraged to reach out to their local MLAs and ask them what steps they are taking to address the care worker emergency. For some simple steps to address the challenge, read our most recent news release here.