Bonnyville looks to bring in rural nursing program with MacEwan

The Town of Bonnyville will write a letter in support of bringing a Baccalaureate Nursing Program to the area.

The program would be overseen by Covenant Health with Grant MacEwan University offering the program.

Mayor of Bonnyville, Gene Sobolewski hopes the program will not only help train more nurses, but also help entice nurses to find employment in the region.

“It would be really nice seeing this program come back to Bonnyville,” proclaimed Sobolewski.

He added that there are many benefits to hosting the program in Bonnyville.

“The idea is you would have staffing for the hospital and a different industry that you could rely on.”

The program would not be new to Bonnyville.

In a letter to council, nurse practitioner, Chantal Vallee requested the town help bring the program back.

She wrote, “I was one of the instructors in this program. As a result, on last assessment, we still have 19 registered nurses working in the area.”

“We believe training nurses rurally helps build the confidence and skill level required to practice rurally.

“In addition, our health care professionals, locally, have always had a strong commitment to training and supporting rural health education,” she added in the letter.

The mayor said the process has begun.

“There has been some dialogue with Covenant Health and Grant MacEwan to see where there are some opportunities.”

Vallee additionally requested of the town any assistance in executing the program, like placement opportunities for nurses and classroom space.