Project to Identify Child-Care Options for Healthcare Workers in Antigonish
A child-care provider reads a storybook to toddlers. A project looking at options to bring more accessible and reliable child care to the Antigonish area is receiving provincial funding. (Communications Nova Scotia / File)
A community-based organization working to identify child-care options for healthcare workers in Antigonish is getting support from the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment (OHPR) Community Fund.
The Arts Health Antigonish (AHA!) Society will receive a $25,000 grant to review options for bringing more accessible and reliable child care to the area. The work – to be led by a hired consultant overseen by a volunteer steering committee – will help inform projects underway to increase child-care spaces in the area.
“The availability of child care is a key consideration for working parents with young children,” said Michelle Thompson, Minister responsible for the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment. “To be a magnet for healthcare workers, we need child-care options that meet the unique needs of healthcare workers and their families. This project builds on important work underway to provide more child-care solutions for Antigonish parents and caregivers.”
In total, 30 organizations across the province received support through the OHPR Community Fund this year, with $1.7 million invested.
Projects funded include a newcomer welcome guide that describes services, recreation and schools in East Hants, transportation assistance for healthcare workers in Digby, and inclusion and diversity training for local community groups in Amherst.
The fund, established in 2022, is an action item in Action for Health, the government’s plan to improve healthcare. It supports community healthcare recruitment and retention initiatives organized by local non-profit organizations, charitable community groups, cultural organizations, member-based organizations and boards, municipalities and chambers of commerce.
Quotes:
“Arts Health Antigonish is looking forward to tackling a challenge for so many in the Antigonish community – child care. With the support of the community fund, I’m confident that we can help to make strides towards creating best-practice solutions for parents who have chosen healthcare careers and need more child-care options for their families.”
— Dr. Elizabeth Brennan, Chair, Arts Health Antigonish (AHA!) Society
Quick Facts:
-- the OHPR Community Fund supported 28 community-led recruitment and retention initiatives in 2022-23, investing more than $1.5 million into a range of projects, including healthcare worker recognition events, online support tools, marketing videos and even a community garden
Additional Resources:
News releases about the OHPR Community Fund: https://news.novascotia.ca/search/all?field_topics=287
OHPR Healthcare Recruitment & Retention Community Conference 2024: https://ohprconference.agendae.ca/
Fund guidelines and details are available at: https://novascotia.ca/ohpr-community-fund
Action for Health: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth/
News release - Extended Hours, Overnight Child-Care Pilot for Healthcare Workers in Sydney: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/10/06/extended-hours-overnight-child-care-pilot-healthcare-workers-sydney
Early learning and child-care transformation in Nova Scotia: https://childcarenovascotia.ca/
Mandate letter for the Minister of Health and Wellness and Minister responsible for the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-DHW.pdf