Provincial funding to train more health care workers in northwestern Ontario.
Seven Generations Education Institute campuses in Sioux Lookout, Kenora and Fort Frances will receive money.
A total of $34 million over four years will increase enrolment in nursing and personal support worker programs at six Indigenous Institutes.
The investment will help expand programs or create new ones to assist the training of roughly 340 practical nurses, 60 registered nurses and 400 PSW’s.
The funding commitment will also help pay for tuition, textbooks, childcare and costs related to clinical education at the institutions.
Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford says as a former nurse with experience working in northern communities, he knows that Indigenous people have faced barriers to access effective and culturally safe health, mental health and addictions care.
The Kenora-Rainy River MPP says events like the pandemic and confirmation of graves at Indian Residential School sites have greatly increased the demand for these services.
“By increasing enrolment in nursing and PSW programs at Indigenous Institutes, we will help ensure culturally appropriate supports continue to be available in the future,” says Rickford.
