{"id":837489,"date":"2026-07-31T05:19:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T05:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/837489\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T05:19:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T05:19:45","slug":"nnns-last-10-infusion-of-healthcare-workers-to-nanaimo-matching-infrastructure-boosts-nanaimonewsnow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/837489\/","title":{"rendered":"NNN\u2019s Last 10: \u2018Infusion\u2019 of healthcare workers to Nanaimo matching infrastructure boosts | NanaimoNewsNOW"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally a tourism-related push<\/a>, a way to boost local business bottom line in the slower early-spring season and to show off the Harbour City to travelling Americans in a time of tariff and sovereignty threats from Washington, the Nanaimo Infusion quickly grew into so much more.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

The first event in 2025 drew a few hundred from south of the border, but a meaningful number of healthcare workers were entertaining the idea of a move away from the United States.<\/p>\n

A sequel event in 2026 tripled attendance from the original and had a distinct healthcare-related feel<\/a>, with hundreds of workers and their families coming to Nanaimo with the specific intent of exploring a move.<\/p>\n

Many, both years, went on tours of NRGH and other medical clinics in the region.<\/p>\n

The success, according to organizers Tod and Jocelyn Maffin, is the grassroots nature of the Infusion premise, which has since expanded to dozens of other communities nationwide.<\/p>\n

It aimed to make more meaningful connections between locals and prospective future-locals by answering questions on schools, neighbourhoods, what life is like for those with a disability or those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s had a major impact.<\/p>\n

Numbers reported in April 2026 suggested around three dozen had already made the move in the 12 months since Infusion 1.0 to work in Nanaimo alone, with a couple of thousand more having applied elsewhere in B.C., and countless others have followed since.<\/p>\n

The event, along with advocacy from groups like Fair Care Alliance, has put a firm focus on healthcare workers, not only through recruitment but also retention.<\/p>\n

Typically fundraising for equipment purchases, the Nanaimo District Hospital Foundation are in the midst of a campaign to fund incentives for new and current workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Financial incentives, training opportunities, temporary housing options, grants and bursaries are all included in the initiative.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to our daily news wrap. Local news delivered to your email inbox every evening.<\/a> Stay up to date on everything Nanaimo and Oceanside.<\/p>\n

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