A suite of scholarships, bursaries and grants to be made available to young Delta residents or high-school graduates who seek health-related careers in medicine, science or care-giving was announced Thursday by Sylvia Bishop, the two-term Delta councillor now seeking election as mayor with Team Delta.
The initiative – called ‘Pathway to Health-Care Careers’ – is the second component of Team Delta’s proposed five-part Action Plan on Health Care.
The Pathway initiative, budgeted up to $95,000 annually, will be funded from revenues expected by the City of Delta from a new hotel and resort complex to be built and operated by Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Corp. The yearly revenues from the development are forecast at $1.5 million to $3 million.
“Everyone knows that the Fraser Health Authority – which delivers many of the health-care services needed by Delta residents – has the lowest proportion of family physicians in British Columbia,” said Bishop. “At the same time, Delta’s population is growing and aging, so it is increasingly evident that our city has an urgent need for additional physicians, nurses and other health-care providers. If Team Delta is successful in the local-government elections on Oct. 20, we intend to address that challenge and improve the health services available to local residents.”
On Monday, Aug. 20, Bishop unveiled the first component of her Action Plan on Health Care, under which a portion of the city’s newfound casino revenues would go to a variety of innovative physician-recruitment strategies administered by a proposed Delta Economic Development Office.
On Thursday Bishop pledged to develop and deliver on an array of financial programs intended to aid young Delta students who wish to pursue a career in a health-related field. The goal is to encourage financial-aid recipients to stay in Delta to pursue a health-care career, or return to their home-town to practice after graduating from a post-secondary institution or medical school located elsewhere in B.C. or Canada.
“We want to help young people who attend and graduate from Delta schools as they set out on a career in health-care, with the understanding that many or all later could practice or work in Delta and deliver superb health-care for our growing and aging population,” said Bishop.
Running with Bishop on the Team Delta slate are veteran Delta councillor Robert Campbell, and political newcomers Dr. Joan Hansen, Kim Kendall and Simran Walia.
