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Georgian College looks to tackle nursing shortage

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Georgian College aims to help solve the nursing shortage in Ontario hospitals.

On Thursday, the Barrie-based college announced that its Honours Bachelor of Science Nursing degree would kick off in September with the help of a $1.5 million grant from the Joyce Family Foundation.

The money will go towards establishing an endowment for future nurses.

Four bursaries, with a value of about $4,500 each, will be distributed to new full-time students entering the program who demonstrated financial need and have overcome obstacles and adversity.

"The goal is to try to recruit more nurses to stay in this region to provide the healthcare this region deserves," said Dr. Sandy McDonald, a board trustee of the Joyce Family Foundation.

In 2019, the school said it asked regional health care providers what the demand for nurses was and found the region, at that time, needed 4500 graduates.

Three years and a pandemic later, the need is even greater.

Georgian College President and CEO MaryLynn West-Moynes said that applications for the program in September are surging due to the pandemic.

"People have been motivated by that, and they have applied to take the program," said Dr. West-Moynes.

According to Dr. Barry Nathanson, the lead physician at Southlake Regional Health Centre, staffing at the Newmarket hospital is depleted due to several factors.

"We have a high number of staff sick with COVID, and we also have a large turnover of staff," he explained.

"It's a time of enormous transition and therefore a time of great challenge in hospitals in Ontario today."

While the issue won't be fixed overnight, Georgian College and the Joyce Family Foundation hope by helping more people pursue a career in nursing, they will fill future gaps.

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