This is Alberta Rural Health Week.
Monday, May 27th through Friday, May 31st provides a great opportunity to honour the contributions of the rural Alberta healthcare providers and community volunteers who help keep health care close to home.
Erin Lowe, Chair of the Olds and Area Health Care Professionals Attraction and Retention Committee, says this year’s winner of the Rhapsody Physician Award from the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) is Dr. Jaco Hoffman from Olds. She says “He is a physician here in Olds. He has been here for quite a few years now and he has provided care for patients in our community in that time. He also has provided care in our hospital as well, both emergency department on the unit and as well doing some work with surgical services. It is an award that celebrates rural physicians and the work they have done in rural communities.”
According to Lowe, “We do have a number of wonderful physicians in our community and nurses and other health care professionals. One of the biggest issues we have right now is a lack of primary care physicians in our community. So we have lots of wonderful doctors that work in our hospital. They do provide care within the clinics in our community but we certainly do lack some primary care physicians and that leaves some of our residents without a doctor right now.”
Lowe believes it is important that our rural community understands the amount of work that our health care professionals put in and the wonderful things they do for our community. She feels Alberta Rural Health Week is a great time to recognize them.
Lowe points out that the Olds and Area Health Care Professionals Attraction and Retention Committee does focus on all health care professionals. She says “I know nursing is a big issue in our community right now as well, particularly in response to labour delivery/postpartum care. So what we are doing is just showing appreciation to those we already have here. We are also talking about ways that we can attract new physicians here, particularly in relation to primary care. Working not only with community members but some of our physicians in the community as well, coming up with ideas of how we can do that.”
Contact Erin at 403-801-6926 or any of their committee members for more information about attracting more physicians and retaining them in our community.
