Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Dr. Derek Moynes and Dr. Daniel Glatt were at town hall on Thursday to put pen to paper and officially sign a five year agreement with the Greater Napanee to practice medicine within the town.
The two physicians will practice out of the Lenadco building at 310 Bridge Street W, and are scheduled to begin seeing patients next month.
“It’s something that everybody has been talking to us about for the last two or three years, our doctor recruitment,” said Greater Napanee mayor Marg Isbester, who was on hand to sign the town’s portion of the agreement. “Everybody wants to have a doctor that they’re tied to, no matter what. As good as our hospital is and our Emergency Room, they want to have their name to someone.”
The town, as are several communities across Canada, has been actively recruiting physicians to keep up with the growing number of ‘unattached’ residents-those without a family doctor.
“These two gentlemen actually approached us and Dr. Kim Morrison,” said Isbester. “Dr. Kim Morrison (who assisted the town with their ongoing recruitment program on behalf of Lennox and Addington County General Hospital) has been absolutely essential in moving this along. The fact someone came to us instead of us having to go to them makes all the difference and shows how serious they are in practicing primary care in Napanee.”
Their names signed on the dotted lines, the doctors offered a bit of a background about themselves.
“I grew up in Belleville and did some of my undergrad masters degree in Kingston at Queen’s.” said Moynes. “This area’s always been around my home. It was very much something that I wanted to come back to. I had the opportunity to work at the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital during residency and had a wonderful experience there. Having the opportunity to return to this great community and work with great mentors were some of the factors that brought me here and I’m happy to be here.”
The network of doctors already working within the town was also what attracted Glatt.
“I grew up in the GTA in Oakville, I did my undergrad at Mac (McMaster) and medical school at the University of Toronto and came here for residency,” said Glatt. “Initially I was in obstetrics and oncology and I then switched into family medicine. I spent a lot of my rotation here in Lennox and Addington and really enjoyed the collegial atmosphere and the town and I’m very excited to join a group of wonderful physicians and really be involved in the community as much as possible. It’s a great pleasure to be coming back here for my career.”
Residents without family doctors are asked to register online through Health Care Connect or by calling 1-800-445-1822. Potential patients must register through the online or telephone method.
Dr. Derek Moynes, Dr. Kim Morrison, greater napanee mayor Marg Isbester and Dr. Daniel Glatt were all smiles at the announcement. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Both doctors worked part of the rotation at the recently opened Lenadco Access Clinic, which operates right down the hall to where their office will be.
“With us opening our clinic, we’ll be able to take some of those people who are unattached and be able to provide more consistent and ongoing care,” said Moynes.
The exact opening date of their offices are yet to be finalized as they await the completion of some construction.
Their patient load will depend on a few factors, such as level of care needed for individual patients. Both are aiming to take on about 500 patients within the first year of being open.
To help offset their startup costs, the town offered a recruitment package of $100,000 per doctor, to be paid out over the next five years. As part of the agreement, the doctors will take on a patient load of no less than 900 people within their first two years.
To welcome the new doctors, Isbester presented each with a brick from the former Gibbard Furniture building.
The town isn’t done with their recruiting efforts and recently established a committee to assist with their ongoing physician recruitment program.
The Lenadco Access Clinic has been operating for about a month now, seeing about 120-130 patients a week. Of that number, 30 to 50 per cent of patients do not have a family doctor.