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In 2026, we held a welcome dinner for “purple names” (the colour of the Discord usernames we give to people who’ve accepted a healthcare job on Vancouver Island).
The guest list is specific: healthcare workers who have already made the move or who have accepted jobs and are in town. People who are no longer prospective recruits — they have signed the contracts, they have the work permits, they live here.
Jocelyn Maffin welcomes “Purple Names” during the 2026 Nanaimo Infusion
Disciplines should mix. A nurse, a family physician, a social worker, an occupational therapist, a paramedic, an audiologist — the more variety in the room, the richer the conversation. People who would not normally meet at work get to meet here.
Career stages should mix. Someone who arrived three months ago and someone who arrived three years ago will give each other something neither could find alone. The newer arrival hears that it gets easier.
Family welcome. If a healthcare worker brought a partner or older children with them, invite the family. The relocation is a family decision, and the dinner should honour that.
The mayor (or equivalent) should be invited. A short visit from the mayor, the regional health authority's CEO, or another senior local figure marks the evening as something the community takes seriously. Brief them: this is a thank-you, not a speech opportunity. Twenty minutes of mingling and a few warm words at the table. They will understand.
A local restaurant, not a hotel ballroom — Not a “function space.”
The whole point of the dinner is that the guests are now part of this place. Eating at a restaurant they might not yet have discovered, in a neighbourhood they are still learning, is part of the welcome. Choose somewhere with character. Somewhere a local would take a friend visiting from out of town.
Who pays. Ideally, if you can get a partner to help fund the dinner, that’s great — the tourism board, the regional health authority, etc. Try to avoid having a company “sponsor” it though. The vibe should be generous surprise, not “And now, our Silver Level sponsor has a few words about their industrial lubricant."
Communicate the ground rules in the invitation. Guests should know it is a private dinner for healthcare workers who have already moved, not a recruitment event and not a public invite.
Confirm the day before. Healthcare schedules are unpredictable. Send a friendly reminder text and a quick "let us know if anything changes" the day before, so the restaurant has accurate numbers.
One of the attendees even brought little purple ribbons, like the ones that get added to their username in our Discord!