By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
An initiative which recently saw a signature project be completed in the Town of Oliver is in the running for a community service award from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities for its service to local healthcare workers.
The Housing for Healthcare Workers initiative will be submitted for the UBCM’s Community Excellence awards, under the category of “Excellence in Service Delivery”. The Service Delivery category focuses on goods and services actively being provided to the community, that fulfill community and financial goals, as well as provide their offerings in an efficient manner.
Earlier this month, the initiative received a boost as new modular housing opened next to the Sunnybank Retirement Centre. The two modular homes are designated specifically to house healthcare workers from out-of-town, who are working at the South Okanagan General Hospital, especially during the busier spring and summer months.
The modular housing project is the product of a collaborative effort between the Town of Oliver, South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation, Interior Health, and the provincial Ministry of Health. The land that the modular homes will reside on is being leased to the Town for a period of 25 years.
The attention that the project has generated, both in media coverage and in making healthcare employment opportunities in Oliver more attractive, made it a logical entry into the UBCM awards, according to Councillor Aimee Grice.
“That was the perfect project to recommend,” Grice said.
Two other projects in Oliver had also been given as options, those being the Oliver and District Arena, and the town’s new basketball court. Neither were part of the recommendation from staff, and were not submitted for awards.
