Countdown to Cornwall Mayor’s Medical Recruitment Task Force

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Cornwall Council enthusiastically approved terms of reference for the Mayor’s Task Force on Medical Recruitment.

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Over the next year, the task force will review efforts, engage with stakeholders and provide recommendations to the City Council to support a refreshed approach to health professional recruitment to improve residents’ access to health care services.

“I’m very happy to see (the report) that there is a real need to address this,” Coun. Carilyne Hébert said. “I can’t wait to see this release and see what’s next a year from now.”

Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale, at a city council meeting a month ago, announced the launch of the task force, which will modernize the recruitment approach and develop recommendations to improve access to health care services in Cornwall.

The working group will also analyze the financial situation. The Medical Recruitment Initiative has an annual budget of $200,000; the task force will consider future financial needs for a renewed program.

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Con said. Dean Hollingsworth: “I see this as a golden opportunity as a municipality to redefine (strategies). I think it’s safe to say that most of us, at least, feel like we need to review what we’ve been doing in the sense that it’s a 30-year-old strategy.

“It’s worth a look to see where we can go.”

The task force will include public and stakeholder consultation and greater collaboration and coordination with local public organizations to strengthen the strategy and promote local solutions.

More specific elements include reviewing and summarizing existing efforts, developing a health professional gap guidance matrix for all public health partners in Cornwall, Akwesasne and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, and promoting a project memorandum of understanding. timelines to be presented to the board for approval to strengthen collaboration and coordination for the recruitment of health professionals.

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The mayor said the task force is taking a year to complete the review, engage and deliver a modernized health professional recruitment program.

Task force meetings will be accessible to the public, in person and via online stream and recordings.

Medical recruitment efforts in Cornwall began in 1992 and have evolved significantly over the past 32 years. Since launching the targeted recruitment and service return programs in 2001, the municipality has invested nearly $1.75 million and attracted 42 physicians to the community.

In 2009, the municipality expanded its efforts again to include a new scholarship return-to-service program. The scholarship program saw an additional investment of $1.7 million and was used by nine local students.

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