The province of New Brunswick is calling for help.
In a release on Tuesday afternoon, health minister Dorothy Shephard issued an “urgent” call for volunteers to take on clinical and non-clinical work, in either paid or unpaid capacities.
The clinical work includes administering vaccinations and COVID-19 testing, patient services and personal support work, says the release. Non-clinical work includes clerical support, office administration, logistical support, data entry, customer service, and food preparation and delivery. The province says it will provide training and protective equipment where necessary.
Both paid and volunteer positions are available, though there’s no details on specific positions to be filled. Rather than apply to specific positions, people are being asked to fill out a form at gnb.ca, giving their availability, location, and whether volunteering for clinical or non clinical services. The province says each volunteer will be contacted but priority will be given to people who can fill areas of highest need.
Volunteers have already been utilized in the pandemic response, with many of the large-scale vaccination clinics in the spring at the Tantramar Civic Centre at least partially staffed by volunteers.
The province did not say how many volunteers are currently participating in various aspects of the pandemic response, or how many it needs to fill the gaps in services and initiatives.
The Mount Allison alumni office shared the request on Monday with its New Brunswick-based alumni, and a number of professional associations have already been spreading the word about the call for help.
Last week, Premier Blaine Higgs drew attention to the province’s Critical Care Nurse Deployment Initiative, specifically targeting recruitment of nurses with critical care experience to work in New Brunswick hospitals. The initiative is offering financial incentives for nurses who register, such as a $1000 sign up bonus and up to $1000 per week in wage premiums. Details for that program are available at gnb.ca/covidcriticalcare
