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Physician shortage a new challenge for Bow Valley

For the first time in at least two decades, the Bow Valley area is dealing with a physician shortage and housing appears to be the main culprit.
20210202 Canmore Hospital 0001
Bow Valley doctors aren't accepting new patients but emergency care can be found at the Canmore General Hospital still. EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO

BOW VALLEY – For the first time in at least two decades, the Bow Valley area is dealing with a physician shortage and housing appears to be the main culprit.

The Bow Valley Primary Care Network (PCN) released a statement Monday (March 28) advising residents that due to doctors leaving the area, no physicians are accepting new patients.

“It hasn’t been an issue for us in the past, but housing is making it tough,” said Kathryn Wright, the communications specialist for Bow Valley PCN. “There are doctors who have been invited to stay long-term, but they describe their housing as insecure and they can’t commit.”

As doctors leave, it puts extra pressure on the remaining doctors, who then deal with heavier workloads and an increased risk of burnout. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made this problem worse.

“We have exceptional doctors here and they are taxed,” Wright said. “It has been a tough couple of years, and they are at their limits because no one is accepting new patients.”

The increased workload is being felt throughout Alberta by doctors who are seeing more patients as other doctors leave the province.

“You are seeing a workforce that is becoming scarcer, and as physicians leave, there is more work put on the remaining physicians, with heavier workloads and more burnout,” said Dr. Michelle Warren, Alberta Medical Association (AMA) president. “It begins to snowball.”

According to the AMA, the number of retiring doctors has doubled in the past two years alone.

“We have a lot of older physicians out there that historically don’t retire until they are older but once you start feeling exhausted or overwhelmed, it makes sense to think of retirement,” Dr. Warren said.

The problem of housing shortages for doctors is not unique to the Bow Valley area. Throughout Alberta, housing is a problem for many communities looking to recruit doctors.

“It is not unique to the area. It is something that is facing all of Alberta now. Rural Alberta, but also urban,” Dr. Warren said. “We are seeing similar shortages in cities that historically haven’t had issues like that.”

While keeping doctors can be a challenge, recruiting new doctors to the area presents its own set of issues. Doctors are highly sought after not just provincially, but nationally and internationally. This competition can make it hard for many places to bring in new doctors to fill the holes left by doctors who have left the community.

“Any physician who is looking around, has many opportunities to work pretty much anywhere that they want to go,” Dr. Warren said. “We need to, as a province and communities, recognize that fact. We are competing for a very skilled workforce that has a lot of options.”

The Bow Valley PCN is looking for ways to hasten recruitment in the area and make the community more livable and appealing to healthcare professionals. The PCN board is currently working with other community organizations to help relieve the crunch being created by the lack of physicians in the area.

Other communities in Alberta have been down this same road, and according to Dr. Warren, it comes down where a doctor feels the best place is for their family.

“When they are done schooling, they are going to look to their families as to where they want to live and that is going to be a driving force. That is going to determine if you get a physician who stays for a year, five years or longer.”

The provincial physician crunch is something that the Friends of Medicare has also been looking at, and hoping the provincial government will get more engaged in.

“The government needs to lead the way and think how we are going to retain and recruit new doctors”, said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “They need to work with the AMA and students to figure out a plan for retention improvement overall.”

Residents can also help keep physicians in communities, while encouraging others to move to the area by providing a sense of belonging for doctors and their families.

“That sense of commitment to the community. That these are my people, this is my hospital,” Dr. Warren said. “Once physicians are disengaged and feel that they are just there for a job, you have lost the battle.”

It can also come down to making sure that doctors are not feeling overwhelmed within their own clinics in the Bow Valley. This includes being prepared, cancelling if you need to, not being a no-show and prioritizing your health concerns.

“If a person has a serious health concern, that is the first thing you should talk about,” Wright said. “If you have a long list of concerns, be upfront with your doctor so you can discuss making other appointments.”

Residents who live in the Bow Valley and maintain a home in Calgary or Edmonton can also help by switching to a doctor in the larger urban centres.

“That is really important for people who aren’t able to drive to the city to have a family doctor,” Wright said. “We are hoping people will be a good neighbour and find a doctor where they are not taking a resource from someone here who doesn’t really have another choice.”

Walk-in appointments can still be booked with a physician at the Banff Alpine Medical Clinic or the Ridgeview Medical Clinic, by calling ahead. While clinics are not accepting new patients, they are offering appointments for single-issue visits.

For residents who need emergency care, they are encouraged to visit the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital or the Canmore General Hospital.

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