Physician Recruitment In 2024 – Price Of Admission Remains Steady

Jeff Green | Aug 21, 2024

North Frontenac and Addington Highlands Township’s are connected communities. Even though the two townships are located in different counties, they share a highway, a fire department, and since 2010, a physician recruitment strategy as well.

The Lakelands Family Health Team (FHT) is located in both Northbrook and Denbigh, serving clients from across Addington Highlands, and both Barrie (ward 1) and parts of Clarendon Miller (ward 2) in North Frontenac. The buildings where Lakelands operates are both owned and maintained by Addington Highlands.

Both Addington Highlands and North Frontenac contribute to a fund that is use to entice physicians to serve at Lakelands.

Early in September, Dr. Richard Weldon, who is coming to Canada from Wales with his wife and children, will sign a contract to work at Lakelands FHT for the next five years.

In addition to payments that he will receive from Lakelands FHT for a roster of 1,500 patients based on a funding model with the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Weldon will receive $30,000 per year in a municipally financed incentive, $15,000 from each township, for a total of $150,000, provided he remains in place for the full five-year term.

Dr. Weldon is also eligible to apply for a provincially funded incentive program, the Northern Rural Recruitment and Retention Initiative (NRRRI). Addington Highlands and North Frontenac both have a 56 score on the provincial rurality index, which makes a eligible physician setting up a practice in Northbrook eligible for $97,748, payable over a 4 year time frame.

Dr. Weldon and his family made a trip to Northbrook last November and were shown around the township for a few days by township and Lakeland officials.

“This is my first experience , with physician recruitment as the Mayor of North Frontenac. I was warned against signing a two-year incentive contract, but in this case, it is a 5-year contract and I am more comfortable with it,” said North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty about the recruitment process.

This is the third contract signed by the two townships with a physician. In 2012, a contract was signed with Dr. Anne Wilson, and in 2017, with Dr. Matt Dumas. The payments in both cases were the same as they will be with Dr. Weldon.

Janice Powell, the founding Executive Director of Lakelands FHT said that this campaign was different from the other two because Dr. Wilson had local connections from her youth before signing on, and Dr. Dumas had  done a placement  at the Sharbot Lake FHT before coming to Lakelands.

“We worked through a recruiter to find Dr. Weldon, and there was luck involved. He was wanting to relocate and was looking specifically for a rural practice, so it all worked out,” she said.

North Frontenac and Addington Highlands have committed up to $20,000 each to fund recruitment costs for this initiative, but Powell said she does not anticipate that Lakelands FHT will need to ask the townships for that money.

North Frontenac Council will consider a bylaw confirming the arrangement at their meeting this week. An event is scheduled for September 16 at the Lakelands FHT office in Northbrook to celebrate the signing, and Dr. Weldon will begin seeing patients immediately after that.

Lakelands staff are busy contacting clinic patients to complete the necessary paperwork for a 1500 patient roster for him.

There will be three physicians at Lakelands FHT as of that date: Dr.’s Tobia, Tam and Weldon