Meaford council is opting out of the Joint Municipal Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee.
During the municipality’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Oct. 18, a report came forward from Meaford CAO Rob Armstrong, recommending as the municipality does not see a benefit in continuing to participate in the committee, they would seek to remove Mayor Barb Clumpus from participating in the Physician Recruitment and Retention group.
Initially, the committee was comprised of five municipalities in Grey and Simcoe and is currently working to attract more primary care physicians to the area.
The Joint Municipal Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee (JMPRRC), was made up of the Town of The Blue Mountains, Town of Collingwood, Township of Clearview, the Municipality of Grey Highlands, and the Municipality of Meaford.
The primary goal of the advisory committee is the development, implementation and progress monitoring of a sustainable method for the recruitment and retention of physicians.
Earlier this year, a resolution was reached where Meaford would continue to participate in the Town of Blue Mountain’s JMPRRC on health care matters, without contributing to a physician recruiter.
Armstrong’s report notes there were several factors which lead Meaford to opt out of the JMPRRC entirely, including the current actions by the committee with an Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) delegation, as well as advice from local health care professionals on the future state of physicians in the area, and the committee’s focus on the Collingwood hospital.
According to the report, the JMPRRC’s recent presentation to the Ministry of Health at AMO advocated for several points, including reviewing the feasibility of shifting physician allocations, recruitment/retention funding and access to physician and health services based on regional areas instead of municipal or health unit boundaries, and expediting the start of the construction of the redevelopment project for the new Collingwood General and Marine Hospital.
During the council meeting, concern was voiced over this delegation put forward by the JMPRRC, as it was never discussed at a committee meeting.
Coun. Paul Vickers says, “I was concerned about The Town of Blue Mountains taking it on their own outside of the committee to do some of the activities that they are doing.”
It was also detailed in the report, the apparent focus for the JMPRRC would be based in Collingwood, the centre for health care in the area for Blue Mountains. The health centre for Meaford, however, is the Grey Bruce Health Services.
The report says the JMPRRC is planning on making a presentation to the Grey County Health Task Force, recommending they set aside $250,000 for a Physician Recruitment and Nurse Practitioner Clinic. With Meaford seeing this as a regional matter, the report says it’s staff’s opinion, if funding is going to be put towards this initiative, it should be at the county level.
“It is moving in a direction that is contrary to the direction we have already established,” says Clumpus. “We have been working over the years with a group of physicians and working with them to keep them appraised of the growth that is happening in our community and what we need to be thinking of in terms of how we can support them in their efforts to bring forward new physicians into our area.”
In consulting with local health care professionals, the municipality has found it is well positioned for physician recruitment through a variety of initiatives and its efforts would be more productive in working with the local hospital and physicians on these matters, rather than continuing to work with JMPRRC.
Clumpus notes new physicians are coming to the area, as they have been informed one has moved in at the Bumstead Clinic, and another who purchased the former Gardiner-Wilson Funeral Home and will be setting up shop in the area early in the new year.
“In addition we have been speaking with Gary Sims, the CEO of Grey Bruce Health Services, who informed us there are two new physicians expected to come into this area,” says Clumpus.
In approving the recommendation, there will be no financial impacts to the municipality at this time, but if it is found there is a need and benefit to contribute funding to the JMPRRC, staff will come back to council with a report.
