A provincial rural economic development grant of $77,500 will be used to help recruit doctors to Timmins. The rationale is that having more doctors will support local economic growth.
Timmins and District Hospital physician recruiter Corey Krupa says TADH and the city are short 40 doctors right now: 25 specialists and 15 family doctors. He’s anticipating a radiologist and an orthopedic surgeon to begin in January, and more family physicians when they graduate next summer.
Krupa welcomes the cash injection.
“It’s going to help us with our recruitment efforts like going to different recruitment fairs, getting in front of students, residents and practicing physicians,” he outlines. “It’s going to be across Ontario, but we’re also looking to expand that across Canada.”
A big part of getting doctors to open a practice in Timmins is getting them to visit. Krupa says once a prospect comes to town, they see how friendly and appreciative people are.
“This funding is going to help us get in front of more people, so that we can attract them to Timmins, and then once we have them here, then we come together as a community, we come together as a hospital or a family health unit or community health centre, and the that’s really what this is all about is developing initiatives to bring more people here.”
