Oliver's healthcare worker housing set to begin construction

Healthcare housing soon

Photo: Sarah Crookall

Officials from the Town of Oliver, Interior Health, and the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation at the site of new housing for healthcare workers.

The Town of Oliver is ready to finally break ground on two modular homes that will house healthcare workers, and are expected to open by the end of March.

On Wednesday, town staff and representatives of Interior Health and the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation shared progress on the project, Eastside Avenue Housing, on Interior Health land behind the Sunnybank Retirement Centre.

Construction underway

"It's been probably three years of working to get this project off the ground and actually become a reality. So I'm excited to see it happen," said mayor Martin Johansen.

Madeleine Csillag-Wong, Interior Health's Executive Director of Clinical Operations in the South Okanagan, said finding housing can be a challenge for healthcare professionals during peak tourist season.

"These modular homes will make it easier for temporary healthcare professionals to support South Okanagan General Hospital and the people of Oliver," Csillag-Wong said.

In September, SOS Medical Foundation officially announced its $2 million pledge for SOGH enhancements, including $300,000 towards staff housing. The Ministry of Health also contributed $215,000 for the project.

SOSMF CEO Ian Lindsay said he is happy to see so much support for the campaign.

"More people are coming on board to support and take health care into their own hands here in the Oliver and Osoyoos regions," Lindsay said.

Addressing short staffing

The South Okanagan General Hospital has had 30 ER closures over the past year, of which Johansen spoke about at Ottawa's Parliament Hill earlier this month.

Johansen added the town's Physician Recruitment Working Group had identified housing as the number one barrier to recruiting and retaining doctors in the South Okanagan.

Originally, the Town of Oliver discussed adding four housing units for medical professionals near the hospital, but town staff said the plan was updated to two two-bedroom modular homes, which would be moveable to retain capital investment.

Johansen said both builds will come with decks and parking space.

Additionally, healthcare workers will pay a small rental fee to help recuperate operating costs.

"If this is well used, as we think it will be, then we have the opportunity to come back and put more units," Johansen added.

IH on ER closures

Csillag-Wong said in addition to providing the land, IH will be focused on providing services in the community, including recruitment of physicians and stabilizing the existing workforce.

To address ongoing SOGH emergency department closures and staffing shortages, Csillag-Wong said IH is ensuring contracts are in place for ER doctors.

"We also take advantage of the province's program that supports emergency care response for emergency rooms, so we're able to offer incentives to physicians who pick up shifts here, and so we continue to advertise those shifts," she added.

"And we make sure that we work with our other agencies like GoHealth BC, to ensure that we have our nursing and allied health care staff, and that means that we'll have the right health care professionals in place to ensure that we avoid service disruptions, and we do everything possible to avoid service disruptions."

Future efforts

Additionally, the Town of Oliver will continue working with IH to recruit travel nurses and doctors.

Johansen said showing off the new homes will also be part of a marketing campaign advertising the region to healthcare professionals.

"Once when we open [the modular units], we're looking forward to having people tour through them and see they're actually very nice units and very comfortable," Johansen said.

Lindsay said SOSMF is looking forward to ideally bringing ultrasound services to the hospital by next year, which the foundation pledged $875,000 towards.

"With the modular homes being open in March, we'll hopefully have that success rate, and as the donations continue to come in, we'll be able to bring the ultrasound services quicker to the hospital," Lindsay said.

Photo: Town of Oliver

Floor plan of Oliver's two modular homes by Chaparral Industries.