From The Beehive E148 - Attracting Healthcare

A growing community needs many things to stay healthy, including healthcare professionals like doctors and nurse practitioners. So how does a mid-sized community like ours work to build a strong healthcare system?

In St. Thomas and Elgin County, it starts with the Health Recruitment Partnership, a joint city-county initiative that has helped recruit and retain more than 50 physicians and nurse practitioners since 2008.

In this update, Mike from St. Thomas Economic Development connects with City of St. Thomas Strategic Initiatives Manager Taylor Mooney and Health Recruiter Uzo Ajogwu to break down how the partnership works and why it is getting results.

Taylor explains the governance behind the HRP, a collaboration between the City of St. Thomas, the County of Elgin, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, and local physicians.

Uzo shares about the recruitment toolkit that is setting St. Thomas apart from neighbouring communities, including a $33,000 incentive for physicians taking over or starting a practice, home builder partnerships offering move-in support, and a low-interest loan of up to $300,000 through the Elgin Business Resource Centre. She also shares this year's recruitment numbers and what makes St. Thomas and Elgin County an easy sell to physicians considering the move, from quality of life to proximity to Toronto and Detroit.

If you are a physician, nurse practitioner, or healthcare professional exploring where to build your practice, this is your look inside the community and the incentives behind it.

Learn more about the Health Recruitment Partnership and available incentives: ​