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Penticton  

New home for med students

Visting medical students and locum physicians now have a home away from home at Penticton Regional Hospital.

A new factory-built modular student housing facility was placed on the site, Saturday, near the hospital's psychiatric unit.

The fully furnished, single-storey residence will be known as the Lloyd and Lota Jobling House in honour of the Penticton residents who donated more than $500,000 from their estate to the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation for the project.

Lloyd Jobling, predeceased by his wife Lota, died in July 2010.

Half the structure, manufactured by Chaparral Industries of Kelowna, was delivered Thursday and the other half on Saturday.

Janice Perrino, the foundation's executive director, said the Jobling House will replace an aging trailer near the PRH parking lot entrance of Government Street, which was previously used as a residence for medical students for almost 30 years. Prior to that, the portable building served as a daycare.

"There was a need for this facility because we wanted resident doctors, nurses or anyone who was coming here for a period of time, to have a proper place to stay," she said.

Students will be required to pay a nominal fee to cover the costs of cleaning and maintenance.

The residence will include six bedrooms, kitchen facilities and a lounge. A small shed for bicycles and other items will also be included.

The residence should be ready for occupancy in April.



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