Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Ontario expands Health Care Partnership in Huron
Ontario is helping the County of Huron and its partners build on the success of HealthKick Huron and create more communities of choice for health care professionals in rural Ontario.
The province is investing $476,435 to help expand HealthKick beyond Huron into the rural regions of the South West Local Health Integration Network. HealthKick will work with youth interested in health care related careers and expose them to the full range of health care employment opportunities available in the sector. The initiative will also work to create a training and development plan to provide new and existing health care professionals with locally delivered and accessible training focused on the needs of rural communities. These initiatives build on the original HealthKick project which was designed to tackle some of the human resources challenges found in rural Ontario.
The funding is part of the Rural Economic Development Program which invests in community-based projects in three priority areas:
- Improved access to health care services
- Revitalized communities and downtowns
- Enhanced skills training
Quotes
“This project will provide opportunities for young people to attain skills and access to higher education in the health care field,” said Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell. “It will also help ensure that Huron and the surrounding communities have access to high quality health care closer to home.”
“This program is committed to developing the local capacity needed to create communities of choice for health care professionals in rural Ontario, said Pamela Stanley of the Huron Business Development Corporation. “Through the expansion of this program, we will now be able to more effectively tackle the challenges facing rural health care in Ontario.”
Quick Facts
- Since 2003, Ontario has invested $59.7 million in 182 projects through the Rural Economic Development Program.
- HealthKick hosts a one-week summer program each year to provide high-school students with realistic experiences in medicine using state-of-the-art advanced simulator training, peer workshops and the opportunity to watch physicians and nurses in a clinical setting.
Carol Mitchell, 519-482-5630, carolmitchell.ca
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