The president of the Abitibi-Ouest Citizen Watch Committee, Sylvain Trudel, says he is partly satisfied with the work accomplished in recent weeks. “Is it fast enough for us? The answer is no, because we are in a hurry,” he says.
” We knew that when we started this [La Grande Séduction, c’est nous!], in December. People had been told that it would not be a sprint, but a marathon. They had also been told that it would not be a matter of days or months, but of years. »
Nurses recently hired by the Integrated Health and Social Services Center of Abitibi-Témiscamingue (CISSS-AT) in the sector come to fill the majority of retirements, which occurred between September 2021 and May 2022.
The Great Seduction is us!
The Great Seduction is us! is an initiative of the Abitibi-Ouest Citizen Watch Committee, launched in December 2021, a few weeks after the closure of 22 beds out of the 44 available at the La Sarre Hospital Center. The Abitibi-Témiscamingue Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS-AT) justified its decision by the lack of nursing staff. The initiative aims to collect donations from local businesses and organizations, which are redistributed in the form of financial incentives to future nurses. The Abitibi-Ouest Citizen Watch Committee hopes in this way to restore all health care services temporarily suspended.
North West Nurse Clinic
A service point of the Clinique Infirmière Nord-Ouest will open next July in La Sarre, according to TVA Abitibi-Témiscamingue. This new private care offer does not discourage the Abitibi-Ouest Citizen Watch Committee in its efforts to recruit nurses in the public network.
“You can’t stop nurses from wanting to improve their lot. This is one more reason to work even harder to lend a hand to the staff currently on the floor and improve their working conditions,” considers Sylvain Trudel.
15 accommodations found out of 20
In April, the Carrefour jeunesse emploi d’Abitibi-Ouest (CJEAO) launched an appeal to the population to help them find apartments for future nurses who will be arriving in the area.
The Abitibi-Ouest Citizen Watch Committee confirms that 15 units have been found. Five are still missing.
College certificate and tour in France
The Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue will offer the certificate of college studies in nursing directly in La Sarre. Five students should be able to work in one of the CISSS-AT facilities in Abitibi-Ouest within the next few months.
The CJEAO will also participate in the Month of Quebec in France, held in 14 French cities. This recruitment campaign should enable the organization to attract healthcare workers to Abitibi-Ouest.
The Abitibi-Ouest Citizen Watch Committee also wishes to review its financial incentive program with the help of a firm specializing in the matter. As of June 20, the initiative The Great Seduction is us! raised close to a million dollars in community donations.
It is difficult to estimate when the CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue will open the closed beds again at the La Sarre Hospital Center, according to the Abitibi-Ouest Citizen Watch Committee. He claims to be in regular contact with the organization.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca