OCNews

Articles tagged "Health Sciences Centre"

Royal Canadian Legion cheque presentation
Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Sales Help Fund the Future of Healthcare in the Okanagan

June 29, 2022

The Royal Canadian Legion has donated $80,000 from its Poppy Fund to support Okanagan College’s new multidisciplinary Health Sciences Centre. The Centre, which is located at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus, is a state-of-the-art training facility for health and social care students. It opened its doors in 2021. “We took a building tour and were extremely impressed with the advanced level of training being provided. We believe in the power of education, and we’re proud to invest in the next generation of health care providers,” says Darl...

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Shanise Scherk
Okanagan College to graduate hundreds of new Health Care Assistants through innovative provincial program

February 24, 2022

When 29-year-old Shanise Scherk graduates this month as a Health Care Assistant (HCA), she is excited to start caring for seniors and other clients living in their homes. While working full time since high school, Scherk had always dreamed of having a career in health care. So, when she learned about a new Okanagan College program that offered paid training and work experience to become an HCA, she jumped at the chance to follow that dream. “It was such an incredible opportunity to receive an education and get hired right away,” says Scherk...

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Lane Merrifield
Generous gift will advance OC health-care education

January 19, 2022

A local family foundation is investing in the future of health-care education with a generous gift to Okanagan College. The Merrifield Family Foundation is donating $100,000 to the Our Students, Your Health campaign for a modern Health Sciences Centre on the College’s Kelowna campus. The gift will support technology upgrades and new equipment for eight professions ranging from Pharmacy Technician Assistants and nurses to Therapist Assistants. Lane Merrifield, a well-known entrepreneur, says he values the College's focus on applied learning ...

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Image of the front of the Health Sciences Centre
OC’s Health Sciences Centre receives LEED gold certification

December 23, 2021

Okanagan College’s leadership as a champion of sustainability continues after receiving another LEED certification for the new Health Sciences Centre (HSC), which officially opened at the Kelowna campus in October. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system that certifies the level of sustainability-related features incorporated in a building’s design. The HSC building joins several other buildings at three Okanagan College campuses that have already received certification: the...

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Sikh Temple Gift
The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society gives boost to health care students

December 22, 2021

A $25,000 gift from the Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society will empower health care students as they pursue their education at Okanagan College. The Sikh Community began collecting donations from their congregation to support the College's $5-million Our Students, Your Health campaign and was able to raise the funds in six months. Amarjit Singh Lalli, President of the Okanagan Gurduara, says their community believes in the importance of acquiring knowledge and passing it on to future generations, which made it easy to get behind the ...

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Four Food Chiefs Sculpture
Soaring Indigenous sculpture unveiled in OC's new Health Sciences Centre

November 3, 2021

A nine metre (30 foot), hand-cut metal sculpture by local Indigenous artist Clint George is now installed and proudly on display in Okanagan College's new Health Sciences Centre. The sculpture represents the Four Food Chiefs, and depicts the Syilx Okanagan oral history (or captikʷɬ) on how food was given. James Coble, Director of Student Services and Indigenization Task Force Chair at Okanagan College, says the sculpture demonstrates the College’s commitment to creating welcoming spaces for Indigenous students. “The opportunity to create a ...

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RBC cheque presentation
RBC invests in Okanagan College's future

October 27, 2021

A $75,000 gift from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) will support the growth of Okanagan College now and into the future. RBC in British Columbia is contributing $35,000 to the Our Students, Your Health campaign for the new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus while $40,000 will support future investment in the campus. According to Courtney Hesse, RBC’s Regional Vice President for the Okanagan and Kootenays, supporting the College aligns strongly with RBC's focus on empowering youth for the jobs of tomorrow. “Okanagan College plays a ...

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Health Sciences Centre
B.C. students have more opportunities to train for in-demand health-care jobs

October 1, 2021

The following news release has been shared on behalf of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training and Okanagan College. KELOWNA - British Columbians looking for rewarding health-care careers now have access to a state-of-the-art learning environment with Okanagan College's new Health Sciences Centre, which opened to students this semester. "If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's how essential health-care workers are to our province," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. "We know B.C. needs more health-care professionals, and ...

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Gary and Sharmaine Powell in the dental clinic at Okanagan College's Health Sciences Centre.
Gift from dentalcorp to support critical skills shortage

August 27, 2021

With shortages of Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs) across Canada, dentalcorp is investing in a local solution with a gift to the Our Students, Your Health campaign. Canada's leading and fastest-growing network of dental practices, dentalcorp is giving $35,000 in support of a new dental clinic inside Okanagan College's Health Sciences Centre. The modern clinic will educate CDAs for the Okanagan and beyond. “It’s important to our network and our industry as a whole to foster innovative, best-in-class professional development, among our next...

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Skoglund Family
Skogie’s 50th anniversary adds shine to student experience

July 28, 2021

Skogie’s car washes are celebrating 50 years of business by making the ride for Okanagan College students a little easier. For every year the family-run business has been in operation, Skogie’s is donating $1,000 to Okanagan College — for a total of $50,000 in honour of their half-century anniversary. “We've hired a lot of Okanagan College students over the years,” says David Skoglund, who founded the company in 1971. “We want to support young people and help them get ahead and we also wanted to give back to our community.” The gift will su...

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Shane Bishop, CEO of Catalyst Helathcare
Alumnus gives dose of support to Pharmacy Technician students

July 16, 2021

The CEO of Catalyst Healthcare is giving Pharmacy Technician students a dose of support with a gift to the Our Students, Your Health campaign. Shane Bishop, founder and CEO of Catalyst Healthcare, is donating $30,000 in support of Okanagan College’s Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. Bishop spent his first two years of post-secondary at the College, and the gift is his way of paying it forward to the organization and its students. “Okanagan College provides access to future careers and I wanted to be part of supporting students ...

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Okanagan Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates
Oral surgeons give to thank Certified Dental Assistants

July 6, 2021

A local oral surgery group with offices in Kelowna and Vernon is investing in the education of Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs) with a gift to Okanagan College’s Our Students, Your Health campaign. Dr. Richard Bell, Dr. Russell Naito and Dr. Tom White of Okanagan Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates are donating $30,000 to support a state-of-the-art dental clinic in the College’s new Health Sciences Centre. The surgeons say the gift is a way to recognize and celebrate the work of their current staff and past employees. “We want to sh...

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123Dentist members
College's modern dental clinic gets a boost from 123Dentist

June 28, 2021

123Dentist, Canada’s largest majority dentist-owned network of dental practices, is giving $30,000 to support Okanagan College’s state-of-the-art dental space located in the new $18.9-million Health Sciences Centre. The new clinic is a major upgrade for Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) students, who can now learn in private operatories comparable to today’s dental practices along with smart cameras and monitors for teaching and instruction. Ali Bozorgzad, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of 123Dentist, says his organization was insp...

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Stewart Family
Stewart family invests in health at Okanagan College

April 16, 2021

The Stewart family is donating $50,000 to support the education of health care professionals at Okanagan College. The gift will recognize Rosemary and Richard “Dick” Stewart. Dick, a founder of Quails’ Gate Estate Winery and Kelowna City Councillor, passed away nearly one year ago at the age of 94. According to his son Ben Stewart, MLA for Kelowna West, the gift reflects his father’s passion for education. “My dad believed education creates opportunities for people to lead independent and fulfilling lives,” says Ben. “He saw education as a ...

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Allan Coyle and Nick Melemenis OCAA
Alumni Association honours essential workers; provides support to next generation

April 12, 2021

For 18 years, the Okanagan College Alumni Association (OCAA) has honoured OC graduates whose extraordinary contributions have positively impacted those close to home and around the world. In a year like no other and for the first time in the awards’ history, the OCAA is celebrating multiple recipients of this prestigious award: essential workers. “This year we decided to do things a little differently and honour all alumni who have been working hard in our community to keep us all safe,” says OCAA Vice President Nick Melemenis. “This pandem...

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OCSU members
Students invest in Health Sciences Centre

April 7, 2021

It’s an investment in future students and community health, and one the Okanagan College Students’ Union (OCSU) says is even more important in light of the ongoing pandemic. OCSU is donating $15,000 to the Okanagan College Foundation’s Our Students, Your Health campaign to complete construction of a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. “It’s always good to invest in education, but the pandemic has really brought to the forefront how important nurses and other health care providers are," says Joseph Welton, OCSU board member. “T...

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