Community Commitment Program for Nurses Approves Grants for TBRHSC
by Marcello Bernardo
The Community Commitment Program for Nurses was created by Ontario Health – Health Force Ontario, to attract Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners to work in Ontario.The Community Commitment Program for Nurses funding has approved more than 70 grants for Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBHRSC).
The Community Commitment Program for Nurses was created by Ontario Health – Health Force Ontario, to attract Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners to work in Ontario. The grants for TBRHSC provide $25,000 in funding to eligible nurses in exchange for a two-year, full-time commitment to work at TBRHSC.
“There are significant health human resources pressures both provincially and regionally and we are not immune to these challenges,” said Jeannine Verdenik, Vice President, People & Culture at TBRHSC. “And, while we hired many personnel in 2022, the challenges of recruitment are not going away, so this incentive will help fill some of the nursing vacancies we currently have moving forward.”
So far in 2023, five new hires have already qualified for the funding.
“One of the four identified priorities of our Strategic Plan 2026 is Staff Experience, focusing on what staff need to grow and thrive,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO at TBRHSC and CEO at Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “Incentives like these attract people to our Hospital; additionally, we are actively exploring enhanced professional development opportunities, work-life balance initiatives, flexible scheduling mechanisms, and the development of mentoring programs.”
To be eligible for the CCPN, a nurse must:
- Not have been employed as a nurse in Ontario in the six months prior to being hired;
- Hold a Certificate of Registration in good standing from the College of Nurses of Ontario;
- Begin employment no later than March 31, 2024;
- Commit to two-years of employment at a full-time work schedule offered by the employer; and
- Not simultaneously receive funds from the Ministry of Health for the Tuition Support Program for Nurses.
To view the current jobs available at TBRHSC, please visit our website https://jobs.tbrhsc.net/. To learn more about the Community Commitment Program for Nurses, visit the Ontario Health – Health Force Ontario website.
