The Muskoka Community Foundation (MCF) has partnered with Georgian College to support the training of six personal support worker (PSW) students through the Dr. William S. Monk Community Health Care Development Fund, announced MCF executive Lynn DeCaro.
Starting in Fall 2024, ‘The Dr. William S. Monk Community PSW Awards’ will be presented
annually for three years to two full-time students in the Personal Support Worker program at Georgian College’s Muskoka Campus and will cover the fees for the academic year for each student, including tuition and study materials. The total support for each successful applicant is $4750, for a total commitment of $29,500.
Ontario is expected to require up to 50,000 PSWs by 2032 according to government statistics, and as a region that is home to an aging population, Muskoka needs to start creating the pipeline of PSWs now, noted DeCaro.
“PSW’s play an important role in the continuum of health care, assisting people with health and aging related needs in diverse settings. 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.”
“I am delighted by this partnership program between the MCF and Georgian College that’s
designed to grow this extremely important workforce from within our own communities,” said Kate Monk, who established the fund to honour her late father.
“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. 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.”
Students are encouraged to contact the Georgian College Muskoka Campus to learn more about the award and how to apply.
The Dr. William S. Monk Community Health Care Development Fund was established in 2023 to attract, develop and retain health care workers in Muskoka as an innovative, community-centric approach to solving the health care crisis here
