Attracting doctors to rural areas continues to be a large problem in Alberta, and the Town of Drayton Valley is doing what it can.
At the Town of Drayton Valley’s May 25, 2022 meeting, town council received an update from the Pembina Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee (PPRRC) on the work they are doing.
PPRRC representative Patricia Jeffery said the committee has been working on developing its vision and mission statement.
Their mission statement is based around six pillars, including diversifying membership, increased collaborations, and supporting recruitment efforts.
Jeffery also highlighted some of the issues that the PPRRC runs into, most of them having to do with their dealings with Alberta Health Services (AHS).
As explained by Jeffery, it is AHS that determines where there is a shortage of doctors, and when to advertise the job openings. A few years ago, the PPRRC was anticipating a shortage of doctors for the Drayton Valley region, as several doctors were set to retire. The PPRRC said it tried to be proactive, and encouraged AHS to start advertising these positions. According to Jeffery, AHS did not take the PPRRC seriously until those doctors officially put in their retirement papers.
To wrap up her presentation, Jeffery said the main goal of PPRRC is to make sure everyone, including the Town of Drayton Valley and Brazeau County, are on the same page as to the wants and needs of the community.
Spring boarding off that, councillor Tom McGee asked what council’s role in all of this should be.
To answer that, Jeffery circled back to ensuring that, when PPRRC and town council speak to AHS about the Town’s concerns, that their messaging is consistent.
“I think we all know the value of having one voice and the same voice,” said Jeffery. “Everybody has one, and the more people that speak up about matters can be a good thing. The problem starts to happen when that message is not conveyed the same.”
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