The Airdrie & District Health Foundation (ADHF) and the Highland Primary Care Network hosted a doctor’s luncheon, March 22.
The event, which took place at Il-Forno Pizza, was put on to celebrate National Physician’s Day, which will take place March 30.
A number of politicians, doctors and members of the organizations were in attendance.
“We want to show the doctors we appreciate them and want them here,” said Michelle Bates, a founding member of the ADHF. “We want to start engaging them in future plans (for health care in Airdrie.)”
According to Bates, about 34 family physicians practice out of Airdrie, a number the ADHF would like to see increase.
With nearly 47,000 residents living in Airdrie, as well as a large contingent of patients from outlying areas, Airdrie MLA Rob Anderson, who also attended the event, said we need more family doctors.
“It’s a problem,” he said. “It’s hard when the government is cutting front-line staff.”
Anderson, a founding and current member of the ADHF, said the luncheon was put on in part to show doctors that the community appreciates them.
“We want to make sure every doctor that comes to Airdrie feels comfortable,” he said.
According to Anderson, the community needs between 12 and 24 new doctors to help meet the goals of the ADHF, which include expanding the hours of the urgent care centre.
“We are hoping to get 24-hour care,” he said.
“Our biggest thing is how do we recruit new physicians and keep them in Airdrie?”
Mayor Peter Brown said the ADHF has been meeting for more than 18 months and now is the time to reach out to area physicians.
“As we move forward, we are going to need input from our doctors,” he said.
Dr. Julian Kyne, chair of the ADHF’s attraction and retention subcommittee, said the luncheon was a great way to reach out to the city’s doctors.
“It was a nice way to create personal contact so we could start having conversation about health care in Airdrie,” he said.
Kyne, who practices out of the Airdrie’s Associate Medical Clinic, which also hosts new doctors completing their residency, said the foundation is starting to see successes as a number of those residents are returning to work at the city’s urgent care centre.
Kyne, the medical director for urgent care, said he has also lined up a number of new residents to work out of the urgent care centre, with two coming at a time.
