Interior Health (IH) is continuing to offer financial incentives in Grand Forks, B.C., to attract healthcare staff, which has experienced ongoing critical staffing challenges.
“These incentives are part of our commitment to local patients and to our current staff and physicians who have remained steadfast in their dedication to Grand Forks and Boundary communities during these challenging times,” Dr. Shallen Letwin, vice-president of clinical operations for IH South, said in the press release.
Among the incentives offered by Interior Health and the Ministry of Health is $2,000 in a quarterly retention bonus for eligible existing staff depending on how much they work, a maximum amount for full-time.
That funding is an expansion of the Provincial Rural Retention Incentive program currently being prototyped by communities in Northern Health.
They’re also offering 1.5 times normal wage for staff who travel more than 40 km from other IH worksites to support services in Grand Forks.
There’s a bonus of up to $1,500 for Interior Health staff referring other healthcare workers to Grand Forks who sign on to eligible positions.
“Grand Forks faces unique challenges to staffing which require community-based solutions and thinking outside the box,” said Minister of Health Adrian Dix in a press release last month.
“These incentives are an important step towards bringing best practices from around the province to Grand Forks and stabilizing local health services people in the area expect and deserve.”