Alexis Creek nursing station needs a new nurse practitioner (NP).
The position was vacated in September leaving a gap in services for residents out west.
“We’re actively recruiting for the position and if anyone knows of anyone I encourage them to get ahold of myself or Catherine Whitman, the community integration administrator for this area,” said Interior Health’s Community Area Director Bryan Redford in Williams Lake Monday.
The position is a .6 full-time equivalent and has been in place for a few years, he said.
Originally the nurse practitioner worked full-time for IH while the funding came from Health Canada.
“Then unfortunately after two years, Health Canada stopped funding the position,” Redford said.
Instead of closing the position down, IH decided to find other funding to keep it going.
He said the position was stable until the nurse practitioner working there, Sandi Lachapelle, took the full-time position of NP for the new health clinic at Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake.
When the position is filled at Alexis Creek, Redford said he will be excited because it will mean there are more nurse practitioners in the region.
“All of our postings are in a hold right now because IH is looking at a budget management plan, but that doesn’t affect this position,” he said.
Redford said it’s great to be living in a province that is training more NPs.
While in Williams Lake Redford was also meeting with the Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice committee.
“We have a number of them within IH and this is one of them,” he said of the committee.