Two Annapolis Valley groups to receive funding for doctor recruitment, retention

File photo. (CTV)

Two groups in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley are getting government funding to help recruit and retain health-care professionals in the area.

The Mid Valley Region Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee will receive $73,765 and the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce will receive $77,105.

The money is coming from the province’s $2-million Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund.

The province says the funding will help several initiatives, including digital physician recruitment toolkits, family physician appreciation programs, and programs that welcome physicians and their families to their communities.

"They want to know more about the community. They can practise absolutely anywhere, but it's the community where they'll live and raise their family, so we want to help them spend more time getting to know what we have available. We're really excited to be able to broaden our services,” says Breanna Sangster, a physician community navigator with the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce

"Getting people to stay is critically important. We want them to feel really welcome and meld right into the community, and that's what has been happening,” says Kelly Hutton, the chair of the Soldiers Memorial Hospital Foundation, which leads the Mid Valley Region Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee.

Nova Scotia organizations had until Dec. 19, 2022, to apply for up to $100,000 from the community fund.

The province says 28 groups across the province applied and more successful applicants will be notified in the coming weeks.