Image provided by Northumberland County
Northumberland’s new county-wide physician recruitment program is celebrating its first year with five physicians recruited to the area.
Physician Recruitment Specialist Paula Mason says three of those physicians have joined the community within the last month, adding to what she calls an encouraging first year for the program.
The recruitment approach was launched by Northumberland County Council last September, bringing the entire county together rather than focusing on individual communities.
Mason says that allows the county to connect physicians with opportunities throughout Northumberland and find the right fit for both the doctor and the community.
She says the county-wide model also allows Northumberland to promote the region collectively, rather than recruiting separately for places like Cobourg, Brighton or Trent Hills.
Mason says adding five physicians is meaningful, particularly because recruitment can be a lengthy process.
She says recruiting a physician can take one or even two years from the first conversation, making the five recruits during the program’s first year particularly encouraging.
There are still gaps in access to primary care, however. Mason says there are upwards of 8,000 residents in Northumberland without a primary care provider.
Mason says recruitment efforts are continuing, with conversations happening with physicians at different stages of their careers.
Some are looking to move immediately, while others may be six months, a year or even two years away from being ready to practice in a new community.
She says the county is also focused on finding the right fit when recruiting physicians.
Mason says that means considering the physician, their clinic, their colleagues and their family.
The three most recently recruited physicians will be practicing in the Port Hope-Cobourg area, but Mason says the county continues to recruit for communities across Northumberland.
For residents who don’t have a family doctor, or whose doctor is located outside the area, Mason is encouraging them to register with Healthcare Connect.
Residents can register by calling 811 or through the provincial Healthcare Connect service.
Mason says being on the wait list is important because that’s where newly recruited physicians typically get their new patients.
Mason says the county is encouraged by the results of the first year, but the recruitment effort will continue as Northumberland works to improve access to primary care.
(Written by: Branden Rushton)
