Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. (Photo by Jaryn Vecchio)
Chatham

CKHA hires new nurses with funding from province

Funding from the Ontario government has helped the Chatham Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) hire two nurses.

The organization recently received around $150,000 through the Clinical Scholar Program.

Meredith Whitehead, vice-president of transformation and Chief Nursing Executive with CKHA, said the program aims to partner nursing graduates with senior nurses to help them gain valuable hands-on experience.

"It's a struggle when you're a new grad trying to do all of these things," she added.

The two graduates will be moved from department to department to ensure they can learn as much as possible.

The two graduates have been working at the CKHA since October. The program funding will cover the nurses salaries for one year.

The new hires have helped the CKHA lower its nurse vacancy rate. At the start of 2024, it was sitting at 10 per cent but has since lowered to around 4.7 per cent as of the end of October. The vacancy rate was as high as 15.9 per cent in 2022.

"[CKHA's nurse retention] is the best I've seen in my travels at various hospitals across the country," said Adam Topp, CKHA's president and CEO.

CKHA's overall vacancy rate has dropped since the start of the year. It's currently at 3.51 per cent, as of October 31, after previously sitting at 8 per cent.

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