Prescott Family Health working toward better future for rural medicine

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In a time when rural medicine is in a difficult place and many people are without a family doctor, the Prescott Family Health Team (PFHT) is seeking solutions to ensure rural health has a sustainable future.

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During an event it hosted last week, the health team kicked off a partnership with the Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP).

As part of this partnership, the Prescott Family Health Team’s physicians will be mentoring two medical students from Ottawa for a week, providing them with a real-world experience of practising medicine in a rural community.

“This collaboration signifies a significant step in PFHT’s ongoing commitment to nurturing the future health-care workforce and transforming health-care delivery in primary care and family medicine,” PFHT executive director Dr. Dinny Mathew said in a prepared statement. “This highlights the ongoing dedication of Prescott physicians, who have persistently mentored medical students, thereby extending PFHT’s influence and reinforcing its commitment to medical education.”

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The medical students not only shadowed the physicians, but they also spent time following the social worker and physician assistant, observing the team-based care that is implemented at the Prescott office.

Officials from Augusta, Prescott and Edwardsburgh Cardinal attended the event on June 5, along with Sherri Fournier Hudson.

Hudson is the former executive director of the Upper Canada Family Health Team, and is now one of the founding partners of Health Workforce Innovations (HWI). 

HWI has been contracted by all thirteen municipalities in Leeds and Grenville for physician and health-care workforce recruitment in the region. 

At the event, she shared insights about their physician recruitment strategies for the region.

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“Another important aspect of the discussions was centered on developing a unique recruitment strategy specifically for their region while ensuring that services remain local,” said Mathew.

Mathew added that the group emphasized the need to continue efforts aimed at closing the wage gap between primary care and other health-care sectors, which is a crucial factor for the sustainability of primary care and the retention of staff.

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