Caring Starts Here: The Campaign for the new Health Sciences Centre

Caring Starts Here The Campaign for the Health Sciences Centre Kelowna campus

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Health Care Staffing Levels are Critical — You Can Help New Centre to build on College’s 55 years of training health and science professionals She stands beside your bed, or the bed of your parent or child, providing comfort and reassurance.

He is a welcoming face when you visit a family member in long-term care, and a source of knowledge as you learn to support your aging mother at home.

They are there ensuring you get the right medications as you work your way back from an injury.

They are the patient hands you entrust with your children, allowing you to go back to work with peace of mind.

Caring occupations are not only essential to the well-being of our communities, they’re also one of the fastest growing employment areas in B.C. Forecasts predict that health care and social assistance will have the greatest number of job openings in the province in the next 10 years.

Where will these new caregivers come from? Will they have the skills and training they need to provide excellent care? How can we convince them to stay in the region?

Join us in being – and building – part of the solution. At Okanagan College, we’ve been training health and science professionals for 55 years in more than eight professions. With your help, we will build a technically advanced and integrated learning centre to train and prepare the next generation of health care professionals.

We’re also answering the call to ensure access to these in-demand occupations for the people who care by creating much-needed bursaries and scholarships.

The Caring Starts Here campaign aims to raise $5 million for teaching facilities, equipment and student support. We thank you for being part of the solution.

“We consistently hear from employers throughout the region just how valuable it is for them to have access to well-trained health care and social development graduates from Okanagan College.”

– Lisa Kraft, Associate Dean, Science, Technology & Health

WILL YOU BE A HEALTH CARE CHAMPION? The province of B.C. has committed just over 85 percent of our capital costs. With the support of our philanthropic community, we can fund the remaining building costs and provide life-changing student assistance for people who want to pursue health care careers.

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– Krystal Rose with her daughters Macie and Jenica.

Your Generosity Enables Students to Fulfill their Dreams Empowered by education As a single mother of two young children, Krystal Rose is proud to be graduating as a Practical Nurse from Okanagan College this December.

“I wanted to show my kids that even as a single parent you can still go after your dreams no matter what obstacles are in your way,” says Rose.

Rose is no stranger to challenges. While going to school full-time, she struggled with finding suitable child-care in a new city where she didn’t have family support.

Her education demanded much of her time, meaning working while going to school and raising her children was impossible. At one point, Rose was unsure if she could continue her education as she could no longer afford the costs.

An award from a donor-funded bursary, along with several awards from Okanagan College, enabled Rose to focus on her most important priorities: her children and her studies. It paid off. Rose’s current GPA is nearly 90 per cent.

“The financial aspect of going back to school was the biggest barrier I had to face as I had to pay for child care on top of my school supplies, tuition and living expenses. I am so grateful for the financial support I have received!”

– Krystal Rose, PN student

DID YOU KNOW? • There will be a shortage of nearly 60,000 Registered Nurses in Canada by 2022 • The nursing shortage is a combination of a large number of nurses retiring, and an increasingly older population • In 2035, one in four people in the Central Okanagan will be over the age of 65

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Health Care is Evolving — We’re Building for Today and Tomorrow New Health Sciences Centre will replace aging facilities Our current Health building dates back to 1963 when the B.C. Vocational Institute opened. Technical advances means health care and learning settings look very different today.

The new 2,800 square-metre (30,000 square-foot) Health Sciences Centre will provide technology-enhanced and student-centred labs, clinics, classrooms and faculty space for health and social development programs.

Lane Shupe, Certified Dental Assistant, studied in this dental clinic in 1981. Since our current Health building opened, we’ve graduated more than 10,000 grads in the Health and Sciences programs.

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New Centre Open for Students: September 2020

BUILDING HIGHLIGHTS Zero Carbon Our goal is to minimize the structure’s carbon footprint to as close to zero as possible

490 sq m (5,290 sq ft) of modern classrooms 840 sq m (9,050 sq ft) of high-tech labs 270 sq m (2,900 sq ft) of student gathering space

Well Building Standard We’re pursuing Well Silver certification, a standard to enhance occupant health and well-being in buildings LEED Rating System Our target is to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Standard

CAMPAIGN GOAL The total building cost is $18.9 million.

The Province of B.C. is contributing $15.4 million and Okanagan College Foundation has a goal to fundraise $5 million:

$3.5

million for building and teaching spaces

$1.5

million for program support, equipment and student aid

$5 Million

Programs Taught in New Centre

Needs in our Community

• • • • • • • •

CRITICAL CRITICAL CRITICAL CRITICAL SERIOUS SERIOUS STABLE STABLE

Certified Dental Assistant Early Childhood Education Bachelor of Science in Nursing Health Care Assistant Human Service Work Pharmacy Technician Therapist Assistant Practical Nursing

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Our Grads Are Making a Difference in Our Community — You Can Too Support worker helps client learn to live independently One of Dana Sarris’ final assignments in the Human Service Work program at Okanagan College was to come up with his own personal mission statement. His was simple: to make a positive difference in someone’s life every day.

“I’ve tried to do that every day for 20 years since I graduated. Some of the differences are quite small and some are life altering, but I aim for something each day.”

Sarris is a Case Manager at Brain Trust Canada, which works with people who acquire a brain injury. The needs of those with acquired brain injury are as varied as the people themselves but often involves oneon-one support to relearn skills and manage day-to-day activities.

“Most people who I work with have no family, few friends, a very small income and can’t work, and it’s a real struggle,” says Sarris.

Sarris is proud of his role in helping Wayne live independently, a milestone his family and doctors never thought he would achieve. Wayne was in a serious motor vehicle accident that left him with a severe brain injury. He was in a coma for nearly a year. After awaking, Wayne stayed in the hospital another three years to re-learn basic skills like walking, talking and eating.

Wayne still suffers with balance issues, dizziness, problems with speech along with memory loss and executive functioning challenges. Sarris met Wayne when he was living with his mother, who was finding it difficult to care for him and was thinking of putting him in a group home.

Sarris worked with Wayne to help him live independently, including finding affordable housing. Sarris continues to support Wayne, taking him to appointments and helping with other tasks.

“Wayne is doing amazingly well. It makes me feel good to have helped him live independently for 17 years now. He’s made great strides and I’m proud to have played a supporting role.”

– Dana Sarris, Human Service Work graduate

DID YOU KNOW? • Human service workers support a diverse range of clients in the community including seniors, children, youth and people who have disabilities • There will be 11,000 job openings for human support workers in B.C. in the next 10 years • People who sustain an acquired brain injury are four times more likely to develop a mental illness

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Dana Sarris with Wayne outside of his apartment.

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“At Interior Health, we hire as many Okanagan College graduates as we can, as we’ve found them to be wellprepared for helping us provide the highest quality of care to our patients, residents, and clients.”

– Mal Griffin, Interior Health VP Human Resources Okanagan College graduate, 1988

“The long-term care sector in B.C. is experiencing a critical need for staff. A new Health Sciences Centre can raise the profile of this important sector and attract new people to high-demand jobs.”

– Melanie Reinhardt, B.C. Care Providers Association Board Member

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“When taking my nursing degree I was at the college for 12 hours a day. Having comfortable places for students to meet and study would be very beneficial.”

– Tameka Coulombe, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 2018

“With the new Health Sciences Centre, we will have the capacity to educate more students in highdemand areas, helping our region meet the challenge of an aging demographic.”

– Yvonne Moritz, Dean, Science, Technology & Health

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Your Support is Critical — Help Us Care Caring Starts Here With your help, we will continue to educate high-quality students for the Okanagan region and make a significant impact on the well-being of our communities.

Contact Us: Kathy Butler, Executive Director Okanagan College Foundation Phone: 250-762-5445, ext. 4775 Email: kbutler@okanagan.bc.ca

Holly Routley, Development Officer Okanagan College Foundation Phone: 250-762-5445, ext. 4440 Email: hroutley@okanagan.bc.ca

okanagan.bc.ca/campaign