Housing, childcare among top concerns for Summerside's doctor recruitment plans

The City of Summerside is hosting a public forum Wednesday night to discuss issues and brainstorm on solutions regarding health-care services in the area.

It will be held at 7 p.m. at Credit Union Place, and members of the municipal government, Health P.E.I. and the Prince County Hospital Foundation are taking part.

Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher said it's important to get input from the public and other stakeholders about health-care needs, especially when it comes to the Prince County Hospital.

"I'm hearing that people are concerned and rightly so," said Kutcher.

"There's a lot of questions as to how we're going to make sure that as a community, we support the hospital and support the people who work there to make sure that services are expanded in the long term and [that] we manage some of the issues that come up in the short term."

Kutcher said the city needs to be a partner in health-care recruitment and retention for the region. For example, it can help find housing or childcare services for newly arriving workers, whether they are taking permanent jobs or acting as temporary locums for Summerside medical professionals who need time off.

The reality is we're going to need more locuming positions in the future. That's just the way it's going to be.Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher

"The reality is we're going to need more locuming positions in the future. That's just the way it's going to be," the mayor said.

"So we want to make sure that when people come, we help them find a place to live or we help connect them to vehicles to rent if they don't have one."

Gordon MacFarlane, president of the Prince County Hospital Foundation, said he hopes the forum provides a productive discussion about service delivery at the hospital.

The foundation raises money for equipment at the hospital, and has also offered recruitment bonuses to doctors joining the emergency department.

"From the foundation's point of view, we are always going to be advocates for the Prince County Hospital and maintaining and growing the services that are provided at the hospital."