Building Career Focus in the Health and Social Services Field

The Lower North Shore is a vibrant region of Quebec rich in culture and history. However, due to its isolation, challenges with transportation, economic challenges, retention of health professional and lack of access to a variety of health and social services, the LNS have struggled. In the last twenty five (25) years the communities of the Lower North Shore have experienced an alarming level of outward migration of families, this upheaval has caused many fears in the communities of losing services and the institutions are struggling due to the drastic drop in population and the disorder in the communities. The McGill project has provided the people with an avenue to allow improved retention of youth from the region to come home to do internships, summer jobs and have a career in the health and social services field. This retention of health and social services professional from the region has brought a multitude of benefits to regional organizations, and provided a valuable tool to initiate and move forward the efforts of those who wish to improve the health and social services system on the Lower North Shore. During the last nineteen (19) years of the McGill initiative the creation and maintenance of the Lower North Shore Coalition for Health and the creation and implementation of retention strategies in the villages, aimed at improving retention of health and social service professionals, has improved access to health and social services in the English language and many more successes are foreseen over the next year as we proceed through these difficult times.