At their March 24 meeting, councillors received some good news: Five new physicians have agreed to take on existing family practices in Huntsville.
Councillors Bob Stone, Scott Morrison, and Huntsville Economic Development Officer Lauren MacDermid were recognized for spearheading the Town’s Physician Incentive Program and tackling family physician shortages in the community.
The program offers $60,000 for taking over a family practice, $70,000 for taking over an existing practice and taking more than 200 Huntsville patients off the Algonquin Family Health Team waitlist, and $80,000 for those setting up a new family practice.
So far, five physicians have signed on to take over existing practices. Of the five, two have agreed to take 200 or more patients off the waitlist [one of the doctors has already done so], which is currently sitting at 4,800 people who are waiting for a doctor.
The Physician Incentive Program is being funded through the Municipal Accommodation Tax and from the generous support of the Huntsville business community.
Patients on the waiting list will be called as physicians become available.
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Congratulations. This is what can happen when you are proactive and not just reactive waiting for the phone to ring. Also good to see the business community involvement.
Great news for those of us that were abandoned by our family doctor late last year. How and who determines the list of patients that these new doctors are going to taken on from the 4,800 that remain without a family physician. I suppose there is some method unbeknown to us. Hopefully I am on the call list.
Am I to assume that if we were patients of a retiring or departed doctor we automatically get allocated to one of the new physicians?
This is awesome! After cottaging in Huntsville for 20 years we made the decision to join this great community permanentley in 2022 and moved my family here. We went on the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare wait list for a doctor and we just joined with one of the new physicians. We are so happy for this program and applaud Huntsville for the proactive approach!