More Funding to Support Healthcare Recruitment, Retention in Antigonish

The Province is supporting work to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in Antigonish through the Community Navigation and Physicians Retention Services Association.

The association, a partnership of the Town of Antigonish, Municipality of the County of Antigonish and St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation, will receive funding for activities including a community discussion series, new healthcare professional welcome packages, lunch and learns with family medicine residents, and a healthcare recognition day.

“Every one of us plays an important role in bringing healthcare professionals to our communities and keeping them,” said Michelle Thompson, Minister responsible for the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment. “These three groups have stepped up and a broad group of people from across their community are leading the work to sell their community to healthcare workers. I applaud them for that. As their proposal said, we are all in this together.”

The funding is from the government’s new Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund. A total of 28 groups across Nova Scotia applied by the December 19 deadline, and more successful applicants will be notified in the coming weeks.

The fund, worth $2 million in total, is among the recruitment and retention initiatives outlined in Action for Health, the Province’s strategic plan to improve healthcare.

Quotes:

“Our association's goal is to bring together the community in a co-ordinated effort to support the integration and retention of healthcare workers and their families. We are very grateful to the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment for this funding, which will allow us to continue to help our community provide a welcoming and supportive environment for our healthcare workers and their families.”

– Meghan MacGillivray Case, Chair, Community Navigation and Physicians Retention Services Association, and Chair, St. Martha's Regional Hospital Foundation

Quick Facts:

• the Community Navigation and Physicians Retention Services Association will receive $100,000
• organizations across the province could apply for up to $100,000 from the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund
• to be eligible, community organizations had to be a registered society, association, non-profit or charity; municipalities and chambers of commerce were also eligible
• two funding streams were available: community identified projects and community readiness supports; groups could request funding from one or both

Additional Resources:

Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund: https://beta.novascotia.ca/apply-funding-recruit-and-retain-healthcare-professionals-ohpr-community-fund

Action for Health: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth/

Mandate letter of the Minister of Health and Wellness and Minister responsible for the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-DHW.pdf