A mock up of the new long-term care home being built in Mahone Bay, NS. Photo: Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness

The MacLeod Group which operates long-term care homes around Canada is trying a new recruitment strategy, which will see them brings nurses from Kenya to fill their staffing needs.

Their first test of this strategy will take place in Mahone Bay where MacLeod Group is currently constructing a 96-bed long-term care facility that will replace their existing facility in the area.

“We have about 28 positions we’re looking to fill, so we created a new HR strategy,” said Macleod Group HR Lead Doug Stephens. “When creating it we wanted to expand our international recruitment and the organization we partnered with is well equipped to assist in finding staff that are the right fit.”.

Refugee Point is the organization partnering with the MacLeod Group. They help refugees in various ways including helping those with particular job skills find new homes where they can find meaningful careers.

Instead of asking, “how can we feed and shelter more refugees longer?” RefugePoint asks, “what are the long-term solutions that will enable refugees to lead healthy, dignified lives and become contributing members of society again?” Those are the solutions that RefugePoint works to expand through our three tactics: direct services, field building, and systems change.

-Refugee Point website

The new long-term care home in Mahone Bay is much larger than the facility it is replacing and as such it requires more staff, with the MacLeod group still looking to fill 28 positions.

Stephens says they expect six Kenyans to arrive in their first cohort, who he says will have various levels of nursing experience.

Upon their arrival, Stephens says the MacLeod Group will be doing their best to make sure their transition is easy. They will be providing various settlement supports including assistance in gaining the proper accreditation to work as nurses in Nova Scotia.

The MacLeod Group will also be providing housing for those arriving, they recently purchased a house adjacent to the new long-term care home and Stephens suggested the old facility may be repurposed as housing as well.

Stephens says bringing in foreign workers requires a significant investment and level of trust from the companies who do so but that this was an opportunity to help people facing difficult circumstances while simultaneously filling their staffing needs.

The MacLeod Group will be monitoring the success of the program closely as if it proves successful Stephens says it’s likely the hiring model would be used at their other facilities.

The new Mahone Bay long-term care facility is slated to open later this year and the first group coming from Kenya are expected to arrive in the next few months.

Ahead of their arrival the MacLeod Group is organizing a public information session so locals can learn more about those coming and what they can do to ensure they feel welcome in their new community.