More Funding to Support Healthcare Recruitment, Retention in Pictou County

A doctor-led group in Pictou County is getting support from the Province to help increase their own numbers.

Healthy Pictou County will receive funding to organize social events and community tours, create videos and virtual reality content to showcase local clinics and community assets, offer culturally relevant training for healthcare staff and community members, and develop guides and provide support for physicians who are new to the area and students completing their residencies in the community.

“Having our local doctors leading recruitment efforts in Pictou County makes a huge difference,” said Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlane, MLA for Pictou West, on behalf of Michelle Thompson, Minister responsible for the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment. “They provide a very real perspective and are the experts on living and working in our community. Happy doctors recruit more doctors!”

The funding is from the government’s new Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund. A total of 28 groups across Nova Scotia applied by the December 19 deadline, and more successful applicants will be notified in the coming weeks.

The fund, worth $2 million in total, is among the recruitment and retention initiatives outlined in Action for Health, the Province’s plan to improve healthcare.

Quotes:

“Partnering with the community and our local physicians, we’ve proudly been doing community recruitment and retention for over five years now and this funding allows us to execute plans we know are responsive to the local community needs in Pictou County. We’re thrilled with the activities planned to allow us to build a more welcoming community, show our gratitude to local healthcare providers, and the opportunity to showcase Pictou County to the world.”

– Dr. Andrew Hayward, orthopedic surgeon and Chair of the Recruitment and Retention Committee, Healthy Pictou County

Quick Facts:

• Healthy Pictou County will receive $57,346
• organizations across the province could apply for up to $100,000 from the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund
• to be eligible, community organizations had to be a registered society, association, non-profit or charity; municipalities and chambers of commerce were also eligible
• two funding streams were available: community identified projects and community readiness supports; groups could request funding from one or both

Additional Resources:

Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund: https://beta.novascotia.ca/apply-funding-recruit-and-retain-healthcare-professionals-ohpr-community-fund

Action for Health: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth/

Mandate letter of the Minister of Health and Wellness and Minister responsible for the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-DHW.pdf