Georgian College has partnered with the Muskoka Community Foundation (MCF) and the Dr. William S. Monk Community Health Care Development Fund to help train six personal support workers (PSW).
Lynn DeCaro, executive director of MCF, says they will hand out the Dr. William S. Monk Community PSW Awards this fall.
She explains they will be handed out every year to two full-time students taking Georgian College’s PSW program in Muskoka. Each successful applicant will get $4,750.
“PSW’s play an important role in the continuum of health care, assisting people with health and aging related needs in diverse settings,” says DeCaro. “MCF is excited to work with Georgian College and the Dr. William S. Monk Community Health Care Development Fund to create this opportunity to support individuals pursuing a PSW diploma and to acknowledge their often-overlooked contributions to the health and well-being of the Muskoka community.”
Kate Monk, who established the fund in honour of her late father, says through watching her dad practice as a general practitioner and surgeon locally for many decades showed her the importance of physicians is small communities like Muskoka.
“There is a lot of talk about the current hospital builds and the attraction of doctors to Muskoka – which is very important of course; but we also need to start looking at the more comprehensive challenges we face in the local healthcare ecosystem, which includes finding ways to support the attraction, development and retention of nurses and PSWs,” she says. “I hope this inaugural awards program will benefit some people in our community who would like to enter the sector, but who perhaps lack the means to do so. I also look forward to funding this project after the initial three-year program.”
DeCaro asks any students interested in applying for the award to reach out to Georgian College.
