Thompson Rivers University (TRU) will be home to a new $30.6-million Nursing and Population Health Building that will help meet the need for nurses in the Thompson-Okanagan and throughout B.C.

The Province will contribute $8 million and TRU will provide $22.6 million toward the construction of the new $30.6-million facility. The investment by the Province is the last piece of funding needed to kick-start the construction of the capital project.

The 4,100-square-metre (44,000-square-feet) stand-alone building will house the bachelor of science in nursing, health care assistant and the new master of nursing program, as well as other nursing and health programs as they are developed by TRU and approved by government.

The new Nursing and Population Health Building will feature multi-disciplinary simulation labs, classrooms and collaborative study spaces. TRU will be able to implement patient-simulation technology in the new building.

More than $2 million already has been raised privately toward construction of the building, including major contributions from the Stollery Charitable Foundation and an anonymous donor who will be announced at the opening of the building.

Nurses and health-care assistants are high-priority health professions under the 2025 B.C. Labour Market Outlook. The outlook forecasts that almost 30,000 nurses will be needed throughout B.C. over the next 10 years. This projected high demand for nurses is due in part to an aging population.

It is expected that construction will begin in spring 2018. Completion of the new building is anticipated for spring 2020 and ready for student occupancy in fall 2020. The project will create 102 jobs in construction and 74 jobs in supplier industries.

The B.C. government is making record investments in modern, safe infrastructure projects throughout the province – and in doing so, these construction projects are creating well-paying, family-supported jobs. These investments are possible because of the strong fiscal plan of the B.C. government.

(flickr.com)

Quotes:

Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson -

“New and expanded buildings are springing up on post-secondary campuses throughout British Columbia. The new nursing building at TRU is an example of a long list of significant investments by our government to put students first.”

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake -

“Health care is one of the largest sectors in the Thompson-Okanagan and the demand for skilled health-care workers is expected to grow. This new investment in TRU will ensure residents in our region have the skilled health-care workers they need.”

Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone -

“While students are building their future at TRU, the Province is helping build a strong Thompson-Okanagan by investing in new education and training infrastructure. These projects help create family-supporting jobs for residents in our region today and tomorrow.”

Thompson Rivers University president and vice-chancellor Alan Shaver –

“TRU has a long history of providing excellent health-care education and this new state-of-the-art facility brings us to the next level. Thanks to support of the Province, we will be able to train the next generation of health-care workers using all the new techniques and equipment available so we can continue to serve the people of Kamloops and regions throughout the province.”

Thompson Rivers University dean of nursing Donna Murnaghan –

“We are truly excited about the opportunities that a new Nursing and Population Health building will create. TRU will attract the brightest students in nursing and health to a learning environment that incorporates high-calibre advanced technology, equipment and resources.

“TRU, Kamloops and all the communities TRU serves will greatly benefit from graduates who have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the best care possible to the population. This state-of-the art learning environment will take TRU’s high-quality programs to a level where we are able to meet the demand for nursing health-care professionals.”

Learn More:

Factsheet – Health education and training in B.C.: https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/health-education-and-training-in-bc

TRU School of Nursing: http://www.tru.ca/nursing.html

BC 2025 Labour Market Outlook:
https://www.workbc.ca/getmedia/00de3b15-0551-4f70-9e6b-23ffb6c9cb86/LabourMarketOutlook.aspx