Duane Hicks
The Fort Frances & District Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee has been busy securing new doctors to serve district residents and is requesting $80,000 in the town’s 2016 budget to keep the ball rolling.
In a letter to council, to be received at its budget meeting Monday afternoon, committee chair Dr. John Nelson said three new family physicians have been recruited while three others have scheduled site visits with great interest in this area.
The committee also has secured a new general surgeon for this summer.
These new professionals will provide primary care, emergency department services, in-patient care, long-term care, and general surgery services to area communities, Dr. Nelson wrote.
“Good things are happening with physician recruitment,” he said.
Recruitment success directly impacts the committee’s financial resources, Dr. Nelson added.
For instance, each new physician requires at least one site visit, with most taking two or three visits.
It also is common for physicians to locum for a time period to check out the facilities and community.
The committee provides all housing, transportation, entertainment, community, and school tours, and co-ordination for site visits and locums.
Upon signing a Return of Service agreement for two years, the committee provides each new physician a $60,000 financial incentive, a $10,000 moving budget, and an additional $7,000 in lifestyle items (i.e., marina slip, golf and gym memberships, entertainment series, etc.)
It also provides transitional housing to settle in, as well as assistance with securing long-term housing.
This is industry standard in the physician recruiting business, Dr. Nelson noted.
The $80,000 requested in the budget will provide locum coverage, accommodations, travel, site visits, return of service incentives, and ongoing costs to recruit and retain physicians for the west end of the district.
The request is one item on the agenda for Monday’s budget meeting, which starts at 3 p.m. in the committee room downstairs at the Civic Centre.
Then at 5 p.m., the meeting will go in-camera for an indefinite amount of time to discuss five items before being re-opened to the public.
The regular meeting of council will follow.
