Belleville’s mayor, Neil Ellis, is leaving the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference with some optimism.
Ellis and the Belleville delegation spoke about the need for family doctors and nurse practitioners during their time with Health Minister Sylvia Jones.
Ellis says while the city’s doctor recruitment program, led by Karen Poste, has had great success, they’re now focussing on solutions to making it easier to get international medical students back home to practise.
Ellis says about 10,000 people are without a family doctor in Belleville.
He adds the city continues to recruit nurse practitioners to fill the family doctor void but with the province setting limits on where they can practise, the city has asked for more flexibility.
They also remain hopeful about receiving funding for a HART Hub to support the homeless and vulnerable populations.
The minister indicated in their meeting that an announcement is coming soon.
Also, at the conference, the Belleville delegation met with federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Nathaniel Erskine-Smith to plead their case for applications the city has made for Infrastructure Canada funding.
An announcement is expected this spring.
