Finding & Keeping Doctors

Many of us in the Tri-Counties know that it’s not easy to find a family doctor. That’s why the Yarmouth Hospital

Foundation (YHF) financially supports the Community Navigator Program, part of the Physician Recruitment and Retention Project, an initiative in southwest Nova Scotia to attract and retain doctors in the local area. The YHF provides $50,000 in annual funding to the Community Navigator program, and Nancy Ellis (pictured right) is hard at work in the role of community navigator.

While it may seem simpler to the position as a “recruiter”, that’s not quite the case. Recruitment efforts are led by Nova Scotia Health and Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine, while Nancy’s role is more specific and focused. She acts as a vital resource helping healthcare professionals feel supported when setting up their new life and career her in the tri-counties. As Nancy says, “I experienced first-hand the difference it can make having someone you can trust to have your best interests at heart help you make connections, meet new friends, sharing the best places to go for services, and introducing you to local activities and sights.”

Although the foundation’s traditional role is to purchase equipment, “it became clear that we should, and we must, do this for the benefit of our hospital and our community,” said Dr. Harold Cook, board chair at the time the program was initiated. After all, new equipment is not terribly useful to our hospital if there aren’t any physicians.