IROQUOIS FALLS – A northern town has welcomed a new physician to its local healthcare team.
Dr. Andres Breceda is set to join the Iroquois Falls Family Health Team this summer. He will also provide emergency services at Anson General Hospital.
Boreal Pulse Attraction Team physician recruitment specialist Abbigail Brennan said recruiting Breceda will help address the ongoing physician shortage in the north.
With the new doctor signed, Brennan said it brings the health team closer to being a “full complement.”
“There are not very many communities in our region that can say the same. We anticipate that he will have a substantial roster size, which in a community with the population the size that Iroquois Falls does have, that would cover a substantial percentage of the population, which is great,” she said.
Breceda’s start date hasn’t been confirmed. The process hasn't been released for people looking to register as a patient.
Partners in the Boreal Pulse initiative previously included Cochrane, Iroquois Falls, and Black River-Matheson, the MICs Group of Health Services, as well as the Cochrane and Iroquois Falls family health teams.
Matheson withdrew in late October, Brennan said.
“We were informed at the end of 2024 that a direction was passed at their council table that was going to see them pursue other avenues for physician recruitment that did not involve the Boreal Pulse,” she said.
Matheson Mayor Dave Dyment told TimminsToday "council felt it wasn't getting the highest return on their investment dollar."
"We have some internal opportunities to clean up to make our communities more attractive," he said.
"Council created a new doctor recruitment committee solely for our five communities. It’s our hope that our many residents who’ve had different suggestions will come forward and put their name to the committee."
SEE: Northern group making 'huge strides' recruiting doctors, more still needed
Between the two remaining municipalities, there is a need for four to five doctors. Cochrane has two physicians while Iroquois Falls now has four, along with a physician assistant.
“We are consistently speaking to physicians … A site visit is always our ultimate goal, because we firmly believe that once they are here, attraction and a commitment is very much within reach,” she said.
In 2025, Brennan said the recruitment strategy is to invest in all “opportunity avenues,” including in-person events.
“Iroquois Falls and Cochrane have put forward what we would consider to be very provincially competitive in terms of incentive packages as well as new recruitment materials. So again, just getting in front of people gives us a great opportunity to actually showcase that,” she said.
Iroquois Falls Mayor Tory Delaurier said recruiting Breceda is a significant step for local healthcare.
“Like many communities in Northern Ontario, Iroquois Falls has faced challenges in accessing consistent healthcare due to a shortage of physicians. We are proud to welcome Dr. Breceda and his family to our town and are confident they will be embraced by our community,” he said in a statement.
Updates about the registration process will be shared through media platforms, including Facebook, Brennan said.
“We’ll make sure to coordinate between the Family Health Team and the town to make sure that that information is accessible to all the residents in Iroquois Falls,” she said.