Finding a doctor and finding an affordable home are problematic issues in many communities at the moment but one of those matters may be more closely intertwined than you might think, according to one Prince Edward County Councillor.
Councillor Stewart Bailey is part of the Healthcare Advisory Working Group which not only looks at physician recruiting but healthcare providers in general.
That could be nurse practitioners, nurses, PSWs or other health workers.
Councillor Bailey says there isn’t a lot housing available for the healthcare providers they’re trying attract.
“They’re having to live in Belleville and Napanee because they can’t find places to live around here. So one of the things we’ve come up with when looking for healthcare providers, is how can we recruit them when they can’t afford to live here.”
Bailey is also a member of the Affordable Housing Corporation and says they are working hard to come up with solutions for places for people to live but it continues to be a challenge.
Bailey also says the Healthcare Advisory Working Group is in the early stages of creating a survey that would ask people what type of healthcare professionals they need to help with their recruiting process.
“Where you want people to say, I need a doctor, I need an optometrist. We’re still working out exactly what will be on that. But, hopefully, it will give us a better indication of who needs what. Because we can all anecdotally say, that there’s a waiting list of x number of people who are still waiting for a doctor. What we’re trying to do is look into both that and the other folks.”
It’s hoped that survey will be online later this year.
