The City of Grande Prairie has opted to move forward with the new Healthcare Strategy, which includes several incentives, along with a task force, and a new ambassador program to continue their mission of attracting and retaining healthcare professionals in Grande Prairie.
The new Family Physician Attraction and Retention Incentives Policy carries a $30K price tag and will launch on January 1st of next year. Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton explains the need for additional healthcare comes as many residents continue to go without a family physician, despite the city’s best efforts.
“All of our support to date has been primarily based on the numbers that AHS forecast for what is required in our region, I still hear numbers of almost 10 per cent of our community are still looking for a general practitioner,” she says. “Right now, there is still a significant shortage of general practitioners in our community, but we’re optimistic.”
Despite the lack of GPs in GP, Clayton maintains the city has seen some significant growth in specialists coming to the community, with 16 specialists moving to Grande Prairie in the past year alone.
“We’ve been doing significant work in regards to working with AHS, meeting with healthcare professionals that are looking to move to our community, and this extra little bit will be another piece of making it attractive to move to Grande Prairie,” she says. “We have made significant strides in the past year and a half in particular, 16 specialists moved to Grande Prairie in the last 12 months.”
A big piece of the attraction and retention puzzle for Grande Prairie’s council was the lack of an established ambassador program; however, under the new strategy, Clayton indicates that she is hopeful more doctors, specifically general practitioners, will feel more comfortable with moving to the Peace Country.
“[We’re] not only rewarding those who choose to move here financially, but by providing them services such as the ambassador program, they will have an opportunity to get to know more about our community quickly,” she says.
Clayton explains the ambassador program will see folks like community leaders, business owners, and other dedicated Grande Prairie residents, acting as a sort of “concierge” for doctors moving to Grande Prairie, providing a resource for healthcare professionals to look for if they are ever curious about community programs, kids recreation, and sometimes advice like when to change your winter tires in a northern city like Grande Prairie.
“We know that if they’re able to get up to speed and learn more about our community quicker, them and their families and their partners will be that much happier here that much quicker,” Clayton says.
The Mayor also indicates her council’s intention to work alongside municipal partners such as the County of Grande Prairie, throughout the new initiative, in attracting and retaining doctors at the regional level.
“There are rural programs the City of Grande Prairie does not qualify for, in a physician retention initiative, so we’ve reached out to our municipal partners, and as always [we are] happy to collaborate with them on any initiatives that they’re looking to undertake,” she says.
The new Attraction and Retention Incentives Policy will begin on January 1st, 2025, and the city will soon be looking for community members to step up into the ambassador role.
