Vernon nurses set to rally against new care model

VERNON – A splash of red and black outside Vernon Jubilee Hospital next week will symbolize the bleeding of the health care system and the loss of nursing jobs.

Ashley Bradwell, the local B.C. Nurses Union steward, explains the rally was spurred by the implementation of a new care delivery model on Vancouver Island. It’s called the Care Delivery Model Redesign, and according to the union has impacted 26 nursing jobs in Nanaimo and could result in the loss of 122 jobs in Victoria.

“They’re looking at the replacement of professional nurses with unlicensed care aids on surgical and medical floors,” Bradwell says. “We think it has some substantial risks to patient safety.”

Replacing registered nurses with care aides is something the union has lamented before in terms of staff and patient safety.

Vernon nurses will dress in black pants and red shirts Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. to protest the the new care model. Bradwell fears that if they don’t stand and fight now, the new model may be applied throughout the province.

“You have to be concerned if you've got a loved one going into the hospital if they're rolling out this type of plan,” Bradwell says.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority is touting the model as a way to reduce overlap and streamline services to save money and better focus staff resources.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca, call (250)309-5230 or tweet @charhelston.