There have been considerable successes for the Arnprior McNab-Braeside Physician Recruitment Committee.
PRC Committee Chair Mark Nibourg and former lead physician Diego Garcia appeared at McNab-Braeside Council Tuesday.
Nibourg says they do what they have to do almost by default.
He says the PRC’s existence keeps our area competitive.
2,000,000 Ontarians currently have no family doctor, and many recruiters in other communities offer attractive incentives.
Still, Efforts by the local physician recruitment committee have replaced 4 retiring physicians.
In all, the PRC has successfully recruited 12 new physicians to Arnprior as well as renovating clinic space for the doctors to practise, at Suite 157 in ARH in 2016 and the Tall Pines Clinic in the new Grove in 2021.
Since 2016, when the ADFHT waitlist was created, there have been over 6000 people who have found a
family doctor in McNab/Braeside and Arnprior, but a perfect storm is on the horizon: there will be further doctor retirements in 2025, more people are fast moving to the area, and newer practice models favour the group approach to minimize expenses.
Dr. Diego Garcia says that will push the Arnprior and District Family Health Team Physician Wait List to double what it is currently.
Those doctors who are now retiring often operated solo practices, a model which is no longer encouraged.
Garcia says neighbouring communities of Carleton Place and Almonte have built, or are in the process of building clinics where multiple physicians can practise.
Essentially, that’s what we have to do here too.
The PRC has broadened its outreach to include Quebec recruitment, and even the United Kingdom.
It will expand staff hours in the new year- but the biggest obstacle is the lack of clinic space.
Because of this, the PRC is asking member municipalities of McNab-Braeside and Arnprior to boost funding to the 50 thousand dollar mark per community for the next five years, and cut any zoning red tape once a new premises is found.
By Rick Stow