The County of Grande Prairie now has a new tool when it comes to attracting doctors to the region.
A website has been launched with information about its communities and the opportunities available.
South Peace Recruitment and Retention Committee Chairman Brock Smith says they’re hoping to appeal to doctors from around the globe.
“The idea was just to let them know what we have here. We have a regional hospital that acts as a resource for a rural physician who’s out working on his own. He has access to specialists; they’re not isolated.”
Smith says they’re working with a “Google guru” to to try and make it onto the first page when someone searches for doctor jobs in Canada.
The County particularly need family doctors in Hythe and Beaverlodge, but they’re recruiting for Sexsmith, Wembley, and Horse Lake First Nations as well.
“A lot of our patients now are coming out from Grande Prairie, because they’re short, and so then that stresses out our doctors. Our doctor in Hythe is working 60, 70 hours a week; that’s difficult to maintain forever.”
The site was funded by the County to the tune of $7,500, and $3,000Â from the provincial government.