Petawawa, Ont., struggling with doctor shortage

A doctor shortage in Petawawa, Ont., is leaving residents struggling and using the local emergency room as a crutch for simple medical needs.

The PetawawaCentennial Family Health Clinic is the only facility serving the community of 17,500 people.

There are seven doctors on staff, but some work part time, giving the community the equivalent of only five doctors.

They have funding for an additional doctor,but can't find anyone.

"It just seems that we can't get enough [doctors] and people are demanding more," saidTomMohns, the town's deputy mayor.

Mohns, who also chairs the clinic's board, said patients need family doctors.

"Emergency rooms are full.You go there and you wait for hours to get in."

Physicians' patient loads full, deputy mayor says

8 years ago

Duration 0:40

Deputy mayor Tom Mohns says that while Petawawa residents are always looking for physicians, the town tries to make sure the most critical patients get the care they need.

In data from 2015, the Champlain Local Health Integration Networkshowed 96.5 per cent of residents in the western region, which includes Petawawa, had a family doctor.

The problem is less than 40 per cent have access to same day or even next-day appointments.

Nearly 70 per cent struggle with getting after-hours care without going to the emergency room.

As of the end of March, more than 350 patients in Petawawawere still on a provincialwait listfor a family doctor, but that number doesn't include residents who haven't registered for Health Care Connect, according to theMinistryofHealthand Long-Term Care.

Revolving door

Alesha Brown is one of those people trying to navigate her way through a revolving door of doctors.

She's lived in town for five years since her husband was transferred to the military baseand is on her fourth doctor.

"Every six months you get a doctor, you get a letter that says they're leaving," she said.

The mother of two already has to travel to CHEO several times a weekbecause her 10-year-old daughter has seriousmedical conditions.

"Healthcare's important and we can't get doctors here," she said. "Good luck with our government doing anything for us because they don't care."

Her husband receives medical care through the base and she said she is frustrated thatmilitary families are left to find their own physicians.

"It's kind of like a slap in the face."

While sevengeneral practitioners at Petawawa'sclinic serve a population of more than 11,000, the community's military base has15 doctorsincluding one surgeon and a number of psychiatrists.

Five are Military Medical Officers, meaning they've undergone military training; the rest are civilians.

About 6,100 people live on base.

Recruitment and retention

The problems in Petawawa have been coming to a head, as many doctors retire and younger doctors show less interest in rural communities.

"Unless you really adore the recreational activities that are offered here, we're two hours outside of Ottawa and a lot of the new grads, particularly, wish to stay in the bigger centres," said Judy Hill, the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Clinic's executive director.

She said many young doctors choose to work in family clinics only part of the timeso they can get a variety of experience.

Burnout is a very real problem for doctors working in rural areas, especially if there isn't support, but Petawawa adds its own challenges with military families and veterans, said Dr. Declan Rowan,who has been working in the town for more than a decade.

He has patients who are veterans, many with PTSD.

"If you're working in an environment where you're trying to manage people with very complex medical needs and have difficulty of access to specialty supports, it really can be really challenging and make your work day very difficult," he said.

Struggles ongoing

Municipalities in the region have dealt with the problem before.

About a decade ago theyformed the Upper Ottawa Valley Medical Recruitment Committee to find doctors.

The committee was disbanded in 2015 after meeting agoal of a minimal wait list.

"We knew that someday this was going to happen," saidMohns.

"With doctors retiring and the continual growth, we still have an issue and it's starting to flare up again,"

In 2006, the province granted Petawawa a family health team designation, providing funding for a new building and operational costs for the doctors and a few nurse practitioners, which lead to the thePetawawa Centennial Family Health Centre.

Unlike most family physicians in the province, the doctors are on salary and don't bill the health system for each individual service or appointment.

The clinic is currently full, with between 7,500 and7,800 patients looked after by the team.

Closest full-service walk-in clinic in Ottawa

Patients are usingPembroke's Regional Hospital's emergency department as a walk-in clinic, while the closest actual clinic is in Kanata, in Ottawa's west end, more than one and a half hours away.

According to Hill, the Petawawa clinic has had some success getting care for patients with the most complex and difficult health needs.

She said they also have specific programs for women's health and babies and toddlers,but she admits many other patients who don't have doctors are left out.

"We do as best we can with what we have. We're trying to get there. There's a needfor [older] kids as well."