Committee with representatives from all four lower-tier municipalities, health-care professionals to devise plan for maximum impact
Adam Bramburger
Beaver Staff
Lennox and Addington County councillors agreed to set aside $100,000 in budget deliberations to create a special reserve fund to aid recruiting and sustaining doctors within its borders.
At Wednesday’s working session, council received a report from chief administrative officer Brenda Orchard that followed up on Greater Napanee councillor Marg Isbester’s request that the County consider physician recruitment as a way of supporting Lennox and Addington General Hospital.
North Addington’s Henry Hogg said his municipality has had a shared physician recruitment program with North Frontenacfor over 10 years that was successful in recruiting two physicians — one that stayed. He questioned how a recruitment strategy might accommodate both urban Napanee and rural Denbigh.
“It’d certainly be a challenge to set up,” he said.
Orchard said instead of simply creating a fund, a dedicated committee be formed to study the best impact from County dollars.
“I’m suggesting you put some money, a nest egg, aside in a reserve and we would form a committee and we’d have a representative from each of the lower-tier (municipalities) and some of the medical folks to talk about what we could do, what some other places are doing, how it could be competitive and completely fair to all of the lower tiers,” Orchard explained. “We wouldn’t access any of that reserve money until we came back to you with a plan that all four lower-tiers could get behind.”
Napanee Mayor Marg Isbester successfully moved that Lennox and Addington County budget $100,000 for physician recruitment and support. (Adam Prudhomme/Staff)
She added financial incentives might not be the only approach.
“For some, it is a signing bonus, but for others it might be offsetting an office cost or providing medical facilities for them. It could be many things — maybe it’s training dollars.”
Isbester said she thought about the idea after most candidates heard about physician recruitment on the campaign trail last year, but she acknowledged it may be a challenge because all four municipalities have differing access to service and need. She said the committee could look at alternative delivery models like the use of nurse practitioners or telemedicine. Alternatively, Isbester said in talking with Lennox and Addington County General Hospital chief of staff Dr. Kim Morrison, she learned some doctors might need the most help with time management or bookkeeping. Perhaps, Isbester said, business training, support staff, or some delivery models unique to Lennox and Addington that could pay dividends.
“This doesn’t mean we’re going to be right out there (recruiting) off the bat, but we need to have seed money to start somewhere so maybe we can attract doctors,” she said. “If we don’t start, we’re going to be behind everybody,” she said, while adding she felt it would be easier if “the government actually banned this stupid competition we’ve got to buy doctors.”
That said, Isbester noted if the committee does move toward recruitment, rather than looking at new medical school graduates, the committee may look to find physicians who are 45-50 and looking for a nicer lifestyle in a smaller community to work until they retire.
That point seemed to resonate in councillors’ comments.
“In many cases, certainly in the north, it’s vocation,” said Addington Highlands’ Tony Fritsch. “It takes a unique professional to want to put down roots in that area. It’s easy for you to attract one who maybe realizes they don’t want to live there after a while and they’re gone. We’ve experienced that.”
John Wise, of Stone Mills, said “It’s more about finding someone who suits the area you’re looking at.”
He also suggested the County consider looking at a medical headhunter. Wise said some charge an upfront retainer of about $5,000 and another $10,000 upon delivery — and whomever the County hires could work with parameters they’re given, like a preference for rural lifestyle.
Another argument Isbester floated was that Lennox and Addington might be able to claim it’s under serviced if all its municipalities are pooled as one, while it might not be able to otherwise.
Orchard said those specifics can be debated at a later date. At present, she said the idea is to have money in a fund so that come July if there is an idea that would work, there’s money available. In her mind, any ideas should be on the table.
“Part of this pilot would be looking at best practices across the province and maybe even in other provinces. Any good idea we can rob and duplicate is good in my books, but I think we have to look at everything out there and what would work for Lennox and Addington.”
Loyalist’s James Hegadorn thought the recommendation was appropriate.
“In Loyalist, we may be better off than other areas but it’s still tough. It took me close to a year to get a doctor for my parents,” he said. “Even in some of the more populated areas of the county, there’s still a lack of service that’s available and that’s for seniors that need meds. I’d like to see this proceed and I think setting up a committee is a good way to do it.”
Director of financial and physical services Stephen Fox told councillors there was $35,000 available from the 2018 surplus and said he’d prefer to find the bulk of the money from other reserves. He stated that $100,000 could be found, then Isbester called for her colleagues to support that number.
Councillors again unanimously supported the concept.
Prior to Wednesday’s discussion, Morrison responded positively to the Beaver about the initiative.
“This is absolutely a welcome addition! I think physician recruitment is an important community initiative at both the county and municipal level,” she said. “Ensuring that we have a skilled, engaged compliment of physicians amongst other health care providers is essential for a healthy community.”
She acknowledged the success of a joint program between Hastings County and Greater Napanee to attract physicians and said she hoped a new County program would have a similar positive impact in reducing the number unattached patients across the county.
Agreeing with councillors, Morrison stated recruitment is “certainly more complicated” that just financial incentives. She said recruiting is an ongoing challenge because Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care data for underserviced areas is not up-to-date. Also, she said the unknown direction of health-care delivery at the provincial level and an arbitration process between the government and doctors has created unknowns for all physicians, but particularly new physicians looking to locate practices.