Nurses staffing Ezra Wellness in Kamloops risk their licenses: health minister

KAMLOOPS — B.C.’s health minister says unvaccinated nurses working at a new clinic on the Kamloops North Shore are risking their licenses.

Ezra Wellness opened its doors this week. It is staffed by nurses who cannot work in the province’s public healthcare system because they have not received vaccination against COVID-19.

Team lead Glenn Aalderink told CFJC Today Thursday (Oct. 28) that the wellness centre is private and, for now, free. Volunteers will assess patients and offer guidance.

Speaking Friday (Oct. 29), Health Minister Adrian Dix notes, as Ezra is a private facility, it operates outside of the public system.

But Dix adds practicing nurses still need to be licensed by their professional college.

“We made it clear when me made the mandatory vaccination announcement for health care that we would also be engaging and, indeed, instructing the colleges — for example, the College of Physicians and Surgeons (of BC), the nursing college, the pharmacists’ college, the dental college, and so on — that, as a condition of license, people would have to be vaccinated,” said Dix.

Aalderink says the wellness centre’s services will be available to unvaccinated and vaccinated alike. Interior Health has responded that all of its services are also available to everyone.

Dix says volunteers shouldn’t see this as an alternative to continue practicing as normal.

“There isn’t any loophole, there isn’t any back door here,” Dix said. “If you want to practice these professions in B.C., you’re going to have to be vaccinated.”