Counsellor Tom Stringfellow reported at a recent District of Houston council meeting the status of recruiting doctors and other physicians in Houston and the issues that the recruiters face.
“The physician recruitment recruiters gave us an update and said that they are attending different conferences where they will talk to different groups and doctors to get some feedback for Houston,” said counsellor Stringfellow.
Counsellor Stringfellow said that the recruiters are trying to get locums physicians to come to Houston.
When a doctor goes on vacation, a locum can look at the bid to cover the duration of when the doctor is away, but one of the issues is having a place to stay.
“Some of the problems are determining where they stay in the community. Sometimes they stay in a doctor’s home. A suggestion that was discussed if there is a district house that they could use or Bear Paws Inn,” said counsellor Stringfellow.
Counsellor Stringfellow concluded his report saying that there is still capacity for new clients to register at the Houston Health Centre.
Northern Health communications officer, Eryn Collins, said on Oct. 3, 2017, “We are continuing to recruit a second family physician for Houston. I have no update to provide in terms of timing.”
Collins added that it was noted that the current doctor and nurse practitioner at the Houston Health Centre are taking in new patients.
“We encourage Houston residents looking for a primary care provider to visit the [Houston] Health Centre,” said Collins.