YORKTON - The Health Foundation is evolving in what it raises dollars for, and they appeared before the regular meeting of Yorkton Council Monday seeking some city dollars for the new initiative.
Ross Fisher, executive director of the Foundation told Council they are continuing to raise dollars for equipment at the Yorkton Regional Hospital.
But, they have moved into raising dollars for education and training of hospital staff. Part of that initiative has the foundation working with Parkland College to assist them in delivering healthcare courses that address positions which are difficult to recruit for in rural Saskatchewan.
One of the first examples will have Parkland College delivering a Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) Applied Certificate program in Yorkton starting in the fall of 2023.
Students will be trained in a laboratory setting and will master skills such as collecting and processing medical specimens.
By training students locally, the hope is that they find employment in surrounding communities, alleviating some of the vacancies.
Fisher said provincially there are some 70 vacancies for MLAs.
Fisher said the program is focused on helping fill a very specific need.
Generally the system is not meeting the needs of rural health care, he said, adding there simply are not enough Medical Laboratory Assistants being graduated from existing programs in the province to meet needs.
The Health Foundation has donated just more than $200,000 to cover the medical equipment needed for a new training lab at Parkland College.
The program will also see students spend training time in the hospital labs in the region, Yorkton, Melville, Esterhazy and Kamsack for practical experience, explained Fisher.
The Foundation has also committed to funding a further $300,000 for equipment for new courses being worked toward for 2024.
Fisher said the Foundation is hoping municipalities, including the City of Yorkton, make donations totalling $100K toward the education initiative.
The initial MLA class will have six, or seven spots, and priority will be given to students within the region in hope once trained they will stay as there are currently spots open in hospital labs they will be training in.
Fisher added that other health-related training programs could be developed locally moving forward, geared toward filling specific staff requirements.
Coun. Randy Goulden said Council would take the request under advisement, but also noted the city supplies the land for the foundation’s highly successful crops fundraiser.
