Many rural regions in Alberta are working hard to maintain health services and Rimbey is no exception.
Ponoka County council heard all about what is being done by the community’s health professions attraction and retention committee during a presentation at council’s regular meeting Nov. 13.
Rimbey town councillor and committee chair, Lana Curie, was joined by Rebekah Seidel with the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) in showcasing what has been done as well as what lay ahead. RhPAP used to strictly be about recruiting doctors for rural areas, but changed its mandate about two years ago to recruiting all types of medical professionals. It also works closely with local committees exposing students to communities under 15,000 people as a place to live and work.
“In the last weekend of August, we hosted 54 medical, nursing and physiotherapy students from Edmonton and Calgary for a skills weekend. It was a real opportunity to come together and showcase what Rimbey could offer,” explained Curie, who is also a retired nurse.
Curie added the students also had a chance to engage with and enjoy the surrounding community by going to a special dinner, taking in a horse show, going on a history trek in an area park and having some fun at the local racetrack one evening.
“We even had two nursing students apply for work in Rimbey as a result of the weekend and three medical students putting the area as one the places they’d potentially like to come after they are done,” she said.
All five Rimbey doctors participated in the weekend and Curie noted the plan is to continue getting Rimbey’s name out there through career fairs and other recruitment events.
“Three of our five current doctors have come because of these kind of events, but there is a lot more work to do,” Curie added.
However, there remains one large sticking point in being able to attract and possibly retain these medical professionals in Rimbey — a lack of available rental properties.
“The opportunity is there in rural Alberta and maybe we have to start looking at lifestyle and good places to raise families. I firmly believe one can be happy and make a life anywhere,” she said.
jordie.dwyer@ponokanews.com
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