B.C. announces new funding for post-secondary health-care education, training
$4.4 million will go toward training more health-care workers
The British Columbia government has announced $4.4 million in new funding for post-secondary education and training related to health-care professions throughout the province.
In a release on Thursday, Minister of Advanced Education Melanie Mark says B.C. residents have been calling for more health-care workers in their communities for years.
The latest funding is aimed at programs for nurses, health-care and anesthesia assistants as well as mental health and community support workers.
The province says it's also created opportunities for existing health-care professionals to upgrade their skills through short, targeted training modules offered at the B.C. Institute of Technology.
It says the investments include $750,000 for Vancouver Community College to expand a nursing degree program for licensed practical nurses and $227,000 for BCIT to offer advanced training for registered nurses working in critical care settings.
Other institutions set to receive funding include the College of New Caledonia, Camosun College, North Island College, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, Okanagan College and Thompson Rivers University.
"We are committed to training, recruiting and hiring a new generation of health-care professionals at all levels, including respiratory therapists and critical care nurses, who are vital members of the health-care team,'' Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a statement.
He also thanked respiratory therapists and nurses working with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.