Residents in Oliver, Osoyoos and Okanagan Falls will have more access to health care as the province expands the Provincial Rural Retention Incentive (PRRI) program in the region.
“The direct impact that a nurse will see is for the year of April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, based on their amount of time actively worked,” said Tristan Newby with the BC Nurses Union.
“They will see an incentive pay with a maximum of $8,000.”
The South Okanagan is also eligible to receive up to $20,000 for recruitment signing bonuses. This is a financial incentive offered to a potential new hire.
Approximately 200 employees will be eligible to receive the incentive. The majority of health care providers receiving the incentive in Oliver will be employed at South Okanagan General Hospital.
“Our communities need strong and stable health-care champions to meet the demand for health services to keep everyone healthy,” said Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen in a press release.
This is another step towards improving a health-care system that has been in a difficult period for more than a year. The South Okanagan General Hospital has already had to temporarily close 24 times this year.
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A lot of the resources, doctors, physicians and nurses come from outside our community to support that, said Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen.
“So, keeping and retaining the employees that we have is so important as well.”
The PRRI program was introduced in several rural communities in northern B.C. in 2021 and is now available in 78 communities throughout the province.