Frontenac County Council looks at Healthcare Recruitment

Jeff Green | Apr 24, 2024

Debbi Miller, of the Frontenac County Economic Development Department, presented her preliminary report to Council last week as part of a new initiative for the county to take a role in advancing healthcare services.

She outlined the services that are available, and provided a brief explanation about how the local clinics in Sydenham, Verona, and Sharbot Lake relate to the various structures within the healthcare system. of running a business.

Dietrich pointed out that the medical reporting and correspondence that doctors do on a weekly basis takes up about 19 hours, half of their time, without the added responsibility of running a business.

Miller pointed out that new physicians are generally looking to serve about 1,000 rostered patients, whereas the physicians in place at the clinics in Frontenac County have rosters of 2,000 and 3,000 patients.

“Therefore it takes 2 to 3 new physicians to replace a doctor who is retiring,” said Miller.

She did not say how many doctors are needed to shore up services in Frontenac County, but Dr. Bell in Sharbot Lake is hoping to retire as soon as possible, and Dr. Gibbens in Verona has an untenable roster of patients and at least one new doctor is required at that clinic.

The clinic in Sharbot Lake can access provincial funding for a signing bonus for new doctors because of its location, but the Verona and Sydenham Clinics do not have access to those funds.

There is $20,000 in the 2024 Frontenac County budget to fund efforts by Miller to help coordinate the efforts of the three clinics. The county is also be asked to use that money support efforts by residents of Wolfe Island, who no longer have access to visiting physicians at the clinic on the island that is funded by the community.

A delegation of Wolfe Island residents also appeared before council, asking that the county grant $20,000 as seed money for a pilot project to bring a nurse practitioner to the Wolfe Island clinic one to two days a week.

That proposal did not appear to have widespread support on council. North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty said that there is no medical service in North Frontenac at all, and residents need to drive 30 minutes, either to Northbrook or Sharbot Lake, to access a medical clinic. South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal said “I live in Sydenham, and I have to travel to Kingston for just about everything, so Wolfe Island is not without service, it's just that the service is offered in Kingston.”

Frontenac Islands Mayor Judy Greenwood Speers, said “I don't have to remind people here about the ferry situation, but in the summer it can take two hours to get to Kingston on the ferry and two hours to return, so it is an all day affair to go to a medical appointment, and we do not have paramedic services either.

The request for funding from the Wolfe Islanders was not brought forward for a decision by Council.

Council received Miller's report, and she will come back later this year with a proposal concerning next steps.

Council Briefs

Lease agreement proposal deferred.

Council deferred a proposal from the Economic Development Department to enter into a low cost ($1) lease with the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) which would allow Frontenac County to develop the final section of the K&P Trail in the county, where it connects with the trail in Lanark, and eventually, Renfrew County.

The agreement is only necessary because there is a legal dispute over the ownership of a small parcel of land on the trail right at the border with Lanark County. The dispute, which is being dealt with in court proceedings, is holding up the sale of all MVCA owned K&P trail property to Frontenac County for a token payment.

The two representatives on council from North Frontenac, Councillor Fred Fowler and Mayor Gerry Lichty, both said they were not completely comfortable with a lease agreement.

Lichty pointed out that work has not yet begun on the trail at the southern end of the township as the expropriation process for three parcels of land drags on.

“My point is, we have time,” Lichty said, “hopefully the courts will deal with the dispute at the top, before we get there, and then we can deal with it. We already have an agreement to purchase in place. We can wait on this.”

Council voted to defer the motion.

Proclamations. Council proclaimed a number of upcoming days and weeks in late April and the month of May. They include: Volunteer Week, the National Day of Mourning, Emergency Preparedness Week, Nursing Week, Economic Development Week, Personal Support Worker Day, and Paramedic Services Week. Correspondence from the Township of North Frontenac requesting that the county proclaim June as Pride month, was received for information at this time.

Last annual business survey

Noting that the number of responses to the annual business survey has remained steady over a number of years at between 50 and 100, and that the survey takes up a significant amount of staff resources in the already stretched Economic Development Department, a proposal to conduct the survey once every four years instead of every year, was presented and accepted at the Planning and Economic Development Committee, and confirmed by Council. The next business survey will be conducted in 2027.