Frontenac County Commits $22,000 to Doctor Recruitment

Jeff Green | Feb 15, 2023

Frontenac County Council received a request for support after receiving a presentation from Dr. Jeanette Dietrich of the Sydenham Clinic and Deborah Krause, the Executive Director of the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team, in late January.

And, during budget deliberations last week, Council decided to create a reserve with a $22,000 contribution towards the hiring of a head hunter to find at least one doctor.

Also in January, CBC Ottawa profiled Doctor Peter Bell, of the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team, focusing on his intention to retire at the age of 80, and the difficulty the family health team is experiencing as it tries to find a replacement for him.

Dr. Bell began his practice in Sharbot Lake, in a trailer in the parking lot of what is now the Sharbot Lake Country Inn & Crossing Pub, in 1971.

And just last week, Mcleans.ca, published a story based on an interview with Dr. Sabra Gibbens, the only physician serving 2,500 patients in Verona, focusing on the difficulties she has experienced trying to find a second physician to make her practice more manageable and sustainable.

In debating how to support the doctor recruitment initiative, members of council said they were not sure what the specific request from the delegation was.

“They outlined a lot of their needs, and mentioned $100,000 per doctor as an incentive, $20,000 for a shared recruitment officer with L&A County, and $22,000 for a head hunter. I'm not sure what they want from Frontenac County,” said Warden Vandewal. “For myself, I don't like the idea of investing money in healthcare because it is a provincial responsibility.”

Frontenac Islands Mayor, Judy Greenwood-Speers, said “In their own presentation, they said that the most effective means of recruiting doctors, based on interviews with graduates, was personal connections and word of mouth. I think if we let people know about the quality of life we have here, and the fact you can buy a nice house for $400,000, which would cost $1 million in the Muskokas or in a city, you might find that is more effective than investing in bonuses or a recruitment officer.”

Dr. Dietrich, Deborah Krause, as well as Doctor Gibbens, made the same presentation in South Frontenac earlier in January, and presentations were also made to Central and North Frontenac Council.

“When they came to North Frontenac, they did not really ask for a financial commitment,” said North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty. “Apparently there is already a bonus for Sharbot Lake, and North Frontenac also contributed to a bonus fund for the Northbrook clinic, which is in L&A but serves our western residents.”

Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith, who is also the Chair of the Board of the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team (an unpaid volunteer position) was familiar with the way the bonus system works.

“Sharbot Lake is considered more rural than Sydenham and Verona, by the province, and therefore the Ministry of Health provides a bonus, I think it is $84,000, paid out over 5 years, as an incentive. That funding is not there for Verona or Sydenham,” she said.

At their presentation in Sydenham, the doctor delegation asked South Frontenac Council to consider establishing a bonus fund, something that Kingston City Council has committed to as well.

“I prefer the idea of a headhunter. I think you only pay them the $22,000 if they sign up a doctor,” said Greenwood Speers.

“And then you need to put more in to get a second, or a third doctor, but I get your point,” said Ron Vandewal.

Council decided to add the $22,000 budget line to their budget, the only discretionary spending they did approve in 2023.

This new fund is not the only direct financial commitment to an external healthcare organisation.

Since 2007, Frontenac County has supported the ongoing fundraising efforts of the Kingston Hospital Foundation. For 10 years, it was through an annual donation of $54,000, and since 2018, it has been $55,106 each year, a commitment that runs until 2027.

The Kingston hospital is the tertiary care centre serving Southeastern Ontario and is also the home of the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario.The Kingston hospital is the tertiary care centre serving Southeastern Ontario and is also the home of the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario.