Health professionals are once again being asked to donate their gently used uniforms, which will then be sold with proceeds supporting a CNC bursary for health sciences students.
The lightly-scrubbed scrubs drive is organized by CNC nursing instructor Nancy Esopenko, who co-ordinated two successful drives during the 2010-11 school year.
"Last year it was very successful - we raised $1,000 for the new bursary," said Esopenko, a registered nurse who teaches in the Northern Collaborative Baccalaureate of Nursing program. "We'll award four students with $250 each in March."
Collection bins have been set up at three drop-off locations - CNC's library, Lakewood Dental and Spirit of the North Health Care Foundation office at University Hospital of Northern B.C.
Any health professional - from doctors, nurses and medical lab technologists to medical radiography technologists, health-care assistants, technologists, dental hygienists and assistants - can donate their scrubs. They must be washed, in good shape and recyclable for others to use.
The donated scrubs will then be sold for between $5 and $20, depending on the uniform, on Nov. 16 at the Spirit of the North Health Care Foundation Vendors corner at UHNBC from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As an instructor, Esopenko sees students from all demographics. Several struggle with finances.
"I want to establish a way for future health professionals to benefit from current health professionals while recycling scrubs and benefitting everyone," she said.
