The mayor of Campbellton, N.B., says there were 54 health-care positions available in his city last month and he’s aiming to fill them.
Two new committees have been established in the northern region of New Brunswick to help streamline the recruitment and retention of health-care workers. It’s an area of the province that has particularly struggled with ongoing staffing shortages. The shortages have led to the temporary closure of some services, including Campbellton’s obstetrics and pediatrics, which have been suspended for over a year.
Mayor Ian Comeau says the Campbellton Regional Hospital services about 25,000 New Brunswickers and 15,000 Quebecers, as it sits on the border between the two provinces.
“We have to let the people know that it's a beautiful region, four seasons, and as it's been mentioned by a lot of mayors, by the regional service commission -- we're open for business,” said Comeau.
He hopes that pitch gets to any future or current health-care workers looking for jobs.
Vitalite Health Network said in a statement that the challenges “remain significant for the region,” but it is aiming to find more long-term solutions through the committees. One will be focused on recruitment, the other on the health issues facing northern communities.
“There has to be a different strategy because whatever we've been doing the last two decades, it's not working,” said Belledune Mayor Paul Arseneault. “This is going to continue to be even more dire unless we find some solutions that are realistic and can be applied.”
Arseneault hopes that more economic development will also lead to more workers being attracted to the area.
“Those unique qualities in terms of demographics, in terms of language, in terms of the geographical challenges that you might have and we have them here in Belledune, that all has to be taken into account if you’re really going to find something that works for that community,” he said.
Dalhousie’s mayor, Normand Pelletier, says he sees the committee as a positive first step, but there’s a lot more work to be done.
He wants to discuss how Dalhousie’s health clinic can play more of a role in the future, to alleviate strain elsewhere. But he says the shortage of staff is most pressing.
“We have got to remember, our health care department in the province went through quite a circus there in the last few years with the pandemic,” he said. “Hats off to those nurses and doctors... day-in and day-out had to go to work and perform almost miracles to keep our health-care system up and running.”
He hopes this committee will bring communities together, working as a region.
“We’ve got to come up with solutions and sit down as a team and stop bashing against one another and let’s find ideas and solutions that will help the citizens of our beautiful province and country,” he said.
Vitalite is promising to schedule more meetings with communities, and keep them up-to-date with how recruitment is going.
