A Second New Doctor Coming to Lakelands FHT

It was bit of odd timing.

At a meeting of Norrth Frontenac Council last week, Frontenac County Manager for Economic came to the end of his annual update of his departments activities. He had focused on trail development, and working with the the North Frontenac Economic Development Task Force. He also introduced a new member of the couty team, Emma Stucke.

After the presentation, Allen received a question about the county initiative around physician recruitment and financial incentives.

“At the moment we are not have any discussions around financial incentives. Personally I think it would be a losing game, because everyone keeps increasing their incentives when you look across the region. What we are promoting is more in the line of community values and ensuring that our clinics are an attractive place to work,” he said.

Much of the county's work on physician and nurse practitioner recruitment has been based in South Frontenac communities that do not have access the provincial incentive dollars that are available to more rural communities, such as Central and North Frontenac and Addington Highlands.

The very next item on council's agenda after Allen's presentation, was a request from the Lakelands Family Health Team (FHT) for $15,000 per year for five years to help with a financial incentive for a new physician, Dr. Mas'ud Adewusi, who will be starting in September.

Janice Powell, the Executive Director of Lakelands, was on hand to talk about Dr. Adewusi, who she said is extremely keen on rural medicine.

Lakelands already has a doctor on staff under an incentive program, Dr. Weldon, who came from Wales a couple of years ago.

Powell said that with the two doctors on staff, both able to take on a full roster of patients, Lakeland FHT “will probably be one of the first areas that will be able to provide care for anyone who wants it, and we will not require another doctor for a long time.”

Council approved the $15,000 per year expenditure, which is being matched by Addington Highlands.

Frontenac County remained on Mayor Lichty's mind, however.

He pointed out that the county has been putting $22,000 into a reserve fund for primary care recruitment, and Frontenac County Council recently approved a $17,000 grant to Frontenac Islands to smooth the way for a nurse practitioner clinic based in Kingston to open a satellite clinic on Wolfe Island for a one yer pilot.

“I would like us to pass a motion asking the county for $3,000 per year to help with our costs to recruit for Lakeands,” said Lichty.

Lichty said "there may be some resistance from his county colleagues because Lakelands FHT is located in Addington Highlands, but it is where most of our residents obtain medical services and we do not have a clinic in North Frontenac.

“If we pass the motion, they will at least have to address this,” he said.

Council approved both the $15,000 per year allocation from the physician reserve for Dr. Adewusi, and the motion to ask for $3,000 per year from Frontenac County.