by Kathy Johnson
Roseway Hospital and affiliates along with South West Health are hoping to partner with the five municipal units in Shelburne County in a student sponsorship program that will help train and retain graduating health care professionals from the local community.
The proposal was pitched to Barrington Municipal Council at their Aug. 22 meeting by Kim Ott, interim site manager for Roseway Hospital.
“This is a Shelburne County initiative for Shelburne County students,” said Ott, emphasizing the proposal is still in the planning stages.
The Roseway Hospital Foundation and Roseway Hospital Auxiliary are also partnering in the proposed sponsorship program.
As proposed, the Roseway Hospital Health Care Professional Student Sponsorship Program would be available to students studying in a health care field with an identified recruitment need, said Ott.
Under the proposed program $4,000 would be made available in the final two years of study to qualifying students. In return the student would sign a return of service agreement to work in their chosen field at Roseway Hospital or within the South West Health District for two years.
A sign-on bonus of $4,000 is also proposed in the sponsorship program.
Ott said she could be the “poster child” for student sponsorship programs. “Thirty years ago I was given a bursary by Roseway Hospital and in return entered into a return for service agreement for two years. Thirty years later I’m still there,” said the well known physiotherapist.
Roseway Hospital Auxiliary and Roseway Hospital Foundation have each committed $1,000 towards the proposed student sponsorship program, said Ott, leaving either $8,000 or $10,000 to be contributed by the five municipal units, depending if the sign-on bonus option is chosen or not.
Municipal councillor Shaun Hatfield called the proposal “a proactive approach to health care.”
Ott said the proposal will be presented to the other municipal units in the county in the coming weeks.
Barrington council meanwhile referred the proposal to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion.
