Photo: Nicholas Johansen
The shortage of health workers at Interior Health is also affecting Central Okanagan’s long-term care homes.
In a June 17 internal note to all Central Okanagan clinical operations staff, Clinical Operations Executive Director Danielle Cameron says IH is seeking help to staff long-term care homes. “due to scheduled vacations and initial vacancies” during the summer months.
“To support the stabilization of services when there are critical staff shortages, Clinical Operations Senior Care is looking for volunteers from all clinical occupations interested in being on a list of additional calls to support Brookhaven Care Center, Three Links Manor, Cottonwoods Care Center and David Lloyd Jones, “Cameron said in the note.
“People called and scheduled to work on this list would have a job or site orientation and would only be assigned a job within the employee’s scope of practice.”
All of the care homes named, except Three Links Manor, have suffered fatal outbreaks of COVID-19 over the past two years.
The memorandum states that there are no “financial incentives” for those who help, but staff will be “compensated at their applicable rate and premiums based on the respective collective agreement for all hours worked.”
Staff shortages have been affecting BC’s health care system for years, and the Interior has been particularly hard hit lately.
Earlier this month, an internal note said that the Department of Medical Oncology at Kelowna General Hospital was operating at 55% of its “planned workforce” until the fall. Staffing problems have also led to the frequent closure of emergency departments in Clearwater, Merritt, Ashcroft and Grand Forks in recent months.
“Care homes in the Okanagan center are under the same pressure we are seeing on health care these days,” an unnamed Home Health spokesman said in a statement on Friday.
“The safety and comfort of people in long-term care is our top priority and we have asked staff who are not yet working in nursing homes if they are interested in supporting care for residents this summer.”
Interior Health says they are appealing to staff as a proactive measure, knowing that many current caregiver employees will take vacations during the summer.
“We support the health and well-being of employees, recognizing that it is important for our employees to be able to take a vacation and have time off work,” the IH spokesman said, adding that they are working to hire new staff.