A new physician recruitment and retention committee has been launched in hopes of helping attract doctors to the Kirkland Lake and Englehart region.
On Monday (Oct. 2), Jorge VanSlyke, president and CEO of Blanche River Health, who also serves as the co-chair of the new committee, made the announcement.
To attract doctors, municipal, business and community representatives, along with physicians, the Kirkland and District Family Health Team, Blanche River Health and the Blanche River Health Foundation will work together.
The new committee is responsible for planning, supporting, implementing and monitoring the recruitment and retention strategies to recruit doctors.
VanSlyke said successful recruitment and retention is no longer just a hospital’s responsibility, but an entire community effort.
“We have to recognize that when people choose to move to a place, they don't just look at the job, they look at the community. They look at schools, they look at recreation, they look at, you know, different incentives, they look at it from a whole lifestyle perspective,” she said.
“So, that's why we're doing this, is because we wanted to make sure that we involve the right people and that we are successful in our efforts to recruit physicians, which right now, we're looking at at least four more.”
Since this type of committee is not a new concept, VanSlyke said they have connected with other provinces and are monitoring strategies being used by others.
“We're all in the same boat. Specifically rural, northern communities are suffering because of our location and lack of access to things that people who are urban centres probably take for granted,” she said.
“We are doing everything that we can not only to provide emergency services to people, but to really look after people's health and well-being. But the reality is, it's a struggle to recruit right now.”
According to VanSlyke, the family health team in Kirkland Lake is estimating 3,000 people are not registered under a primary care provider, while the Englehart Family Health Team is estimating about 575.
The Kirkland Lake and Englehart regions isn't the only one experiencing a shortage of physicians.
A release published by the Ontario College of Family Physicians earlier this year noted that more than 2.2 million Ontario’s are currently without a family doctor.
During a Town of Cochrane council meeting on Sept. 26, Mayor Peter Politis similarly discussed their continued efforts alongside Iroquois Falls and Matheson to recruit and retain doctors through their Worker Bees project.
VanSlyke said she wants to remind members of the public who don’t have a primary care provider to register with Health Care Connect.
