Fifteen new health care assistant spaces are being added to the Williams Lake campus of Thompson Rivers University to meet the demand for the delivery of health care in the community Premier Christy Clark announced during a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

“Our province has a growing and aging population that wants to remain with their neighbours and family in their home community for as long as possible,” said Premier Clark. “Training more health care assistants plays an important role in supporting the health needs of friends, families and neighbours in regions such as Williams Lake.”

One-time funding of $150,000 from the Ministry of Advanced Education for a short-duration remote/regional health care assistant program at the Williams Lake Campus will address the immediate needs so the supply of qualified health care professionals is aligned with demand. The health care assistant program will be offered from the Williams Lake Campus to students in the regional communities of 100 Mile, Barriere, Clearwater, Chase and Lillooet.

“Our government is targeting $150,000 to train 15 additional health care assistants in rural and remote communities of the Thompson, Cariboo and Chilcotin,” said Cariboo Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett. “Funding health care assistant spaces in Williams Lake demonstrates the commitment by our government to answering the skills needs of our province.”

Health-care assistant graduates are in high demand throughout the province. Health care assistants are front-line care-givers who can work in both community and facility settings. Focusing on the elderly and persons with disabilities, health care assistants provide personal care that promotes and maintains the physical, psychological and social well-being of clients.

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is helping to address the needs of the health system by making sure that students in the health-care professions have the skills and training they need to serve their communities.

“Our top priorities are increasing student success and serving our community,” said TRU president Alan Shaver. “This programming and the funding are examples of how TRU and government are listening to the needs of remote and rural communities. In a few short months, the first students will be working and serving with the knowledge that they are making a difference in someone’s life every day.”

Fifteen additional health care assistant full-time equivalent spaces at TRU will increase annual delivery to 99 seats in 2016-17. Training lasts 27 weeks and results in a health care assistant certificate.

“We are very happy that our government is supporting funding that will allow us to address the needs of the rural and remote communities of the Thompson, Cariboo and Chilcotin, while studying how new delivery models can be designed to help improve access to programs,” said Donna Murnaghan, TRU dean of nursing.

The scheduled start date for the 15 additional spaces is in September 2016.

The Province has provided one-time funding for additional education spaces in health programs annually since 2008, and funding to date totals $14.8 million, which has created more than 1,800 student spaces.