A new doctor is coming to the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital as the city and Alberta Health Services continue their campaign to bring new doctors to Grande Prairie.
Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says efforts from the AHS have been “quite aggressive” in attracting new physicians and the addition of the hospital’s new specialist marks a “win” for the city’s efforts.
“On a regular basis we like to support AHS and their initiatives and in turn, take on some of our own initiatives to not only attract but retain existing physicians,” she says. “Hearing that more and more of these doctors that were touring are actually landing in our city is a great win.”
Mayor Clayton adds that despite the encouraging number of specialist physicians coming to the city, general practitioner and family doctor roles still need to be filled.
“We’ve recently had quite a few doctors sign on, but one area that we’re still significantly short of is general practitioners and family doctors,” she says. “Many people, including myself don’t have a family doctor, so that’s an area focus, but we’re still seeing good uptake in specialized physicians.”
In regards to attraction, Clayton cites the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital as a major tool for the city, as its advanced technology and services play an important role in bringing new physicians to the city.
“The regional hospital is a testament to when you build something of significant nature and of high technology, it in itself is an attraction tool.”
According to the city, efforts are in place to continue building on their partnership with AHS and Mayor Clayton says the city is “happy to serve” as a sort of concierge service to attract new doctors, and show off the amenities available for them and their families if they choose to move to the region.
“Having these physicians sign on is great; however, creating a community where the quality of life where physicians want to stay around for a longer period of time where their families are happy is a priority of council,” she says. “Whether it’s being inclusive and introducing new families to offerings in our region, introducing them to schools and areas of recreation and culture and different things.”
Mayor Clayton has confirmed that funding has been approved by council to invest in continued attraction efforts by the city.
