Hundreds of nurses from across the Interior rallied in Penticton on Oct. 29 during the second and final day of the regional bargaining conference.
Gathered outside the South Okanagan Events Centre, the B.C. Nurses Union members from across the Interior Health region carried signs calling for changes to chronic issues facing health care.
"Sadly, none of these issues are new and the historic lack of attention to our province's nurse staffing shortage is having a unique impact here in the Interior," BCNU president Adriane Gear said as she addressed the rally. "Emergency room closures in Merritt, 100 Mile House, Oliver [and] Williams Lake are now a new common occurrence and the list of communities without health care continues to grow each day."
Gear said that health authorities spending on for-profit staffing agencies instead of directly spending the money on recruiting and retaining nurses has contributed to the staffing shortages.
Nurses present at the rally were from the East and West Kootenay Regions, the Okanagan Similkameen and the Thomspon North Okanagan.
The regional council representatives for those regions also spoke, echoing the concerns around staffing shortages, but also raising concerns about ensuring nurses' safety and the burnout many are facing.
"It is heartbreaking to see our colleagues and peers, dedicated professionals, pushed to their limits," said Denise Nelson, the East Kootenay regional council member. "We're going to work to negotiate even more solutions to address the retention and recruitment challenges members face here in Penticton and across the interior region, this will help ensure our patients in rural and remote communities can access the excellent care they deserve."
The two day conference is one of six regional gatherings planned by the B.C. Nurses Union to get feedback and gather ideas from their membership in each of the province's health authority regions ahead of the next round of collective bargaining.
The previous round of bargaining included wage increases, nurse recruitment and retention incentives and other significant gains.
The regional conferences are planned to be held up to January of 2025.
