Nobody knows a community better than those in it.
“Nobody can really sell or a community like people who live in the community,” Health Minister Randy Delorey said during a visit Thursday, Nov. 14 to Eastside Collaborative Care Centre in New Glasgow. “While the health authority is structured in four zones and they have their teams allocated there, the fact is that there are many communities that make up those four zones.”
That's why the government is stepping in to help. Healthy Pictou County is receiving a $13,875 grant through the new Healthy Communities Stream to support community efforts to attract and retain new doctors.
The doctor-led community group will create a guide to welcome physicians and their families to the community. It will include information on enrolling children in school and sports or cultural activities as well as raise awareness of what the county's six municipalities have to offer.
"This funding provides a unique and exciting opportunity to build a welcome guide to Pictou County, allowing us all to come together and showcase how wonderful our community is,” said Nicole LeBlanc, project navigator for Healthy Pictou County. “It will be a great resource to provide not only to incoming physicians and medical staff, but also to their families."
Healthy Pictou County is a physician-led, community organization focused on the attraction and retention of medical staff and students to Pictou County that started about a year ago.
Government launched the $200,000 Healthy Communities Stream in August. It was developed with input from community groups, municipal leaders, health professionals and the Nova Scotia Health Authority. The intent is to complement ongoing recruitment efforts by the health authority and government.
“It’s about really promoting healthy communities and one of those ways is through physician recruitment. Obviously, physicians are a critical part of building and maintaining healthy communities, particularly in the primary care space,” said Delorey.
