June 16, 2010

The University of Northern British Columbia will be hosting an event next week to celebrate one of the most significant events in the history of Prince George.

On June 22, 2000, nearly 7000 people attended a health care rally at the Multiplex (now, the CN Centre) in Prince George to protest the state of health care in northern BC. The event brought national attention to the local crisis and laid the groundwork for the Northern Medical Program (NMP) as well as other health science programs at UNBC. To date, UNBC has graduated 631 nurses and 14 nurse practitioners. There have also been 70 graduates from the Northern Medical Program.

“As a relative newcomer, I salute the people who had the idea for the rally and the thousands more who actually attended,” says UNBC President George Iwama. “They were followed by others who were able to ride the momentum of the rally to put into place so many of the educational and research programs we now have at UNBC. In addition to the Northern Medical Program, there are expanded undergraduate nursing programs throughout northern BC, a Nurse Practitioner program, expanded health research activity often in conjunction with Northern Health, and PGRH is now a university hospital. All of these developments can find their roots in the health rally.”

Another legacy is the Northern Medical Programs Trust, a unique partnership involving northern communities, donors, and UNBC to support the training and retention of health care practitioners in the region. To date, just over $6 million has been raised. In 2010, the Trust will be awarding about $120,000, mostly to support NMP and Nurse Practitioner students who undertake clinical placements around the region as part of their education. This year, six communities and regional districts have joined the Trust, bringing the total number of local government members to 29. The anniversary celebration will serve to recognize hundreds of NMPT supporters and witness the unveiling of a unique display in the Dr. Donald Rix Northern Health Sciences Centre at UNBC.

“We know that we could never do the rally and its organizers justice, but UNBC has benefitted greatly from the rally and we wish to say thank you,” says Dr. Iwama. “The Trust alone is a terrific example of how individuals, communities, and corporations have kept the spirit of the rally alive.”

The anniversary celebration will be held on Tuesday, June 22 at 2pm on the front lawn of the Northern Health Sciences Centre. The program will include remarks by MLA Shirley Bond, Northern Health Board Chair Charles Jago, Burns Lake Mayor Bernice Magee (a founding member of the Northern Medical Programs Trust), NMP grad Jennifer Parker, and UNBC President George Iwama.

Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Vice-President External Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622