Owen Sound council surprised to learn Monday night that the city is reportedly no longer medically underserviced as far as the provincial Ministry of Health is concerned.
City/County Councillor Arlene Wright raised the issue while going over a report from the family physician recruitment committee.
She says it’s a good thing Owen Sound’s Family Health Team is pushing ahead to establish a new facility, because it’ll help the city continue to recruit doctors.
Unfortunately, because Owen Sound is reportedly no longer underserviced in the eyes of the ministry, the city will no longer have access to provincial funding to help recruit doctors.
Wright wonders if it’s because there are only 650 names on a list of local residents who don’t have a family doctor.
But the ministry has new rules for the underserviced area program.
Previously, communities were judged based on such things as location and socio-economic factors.
Now it takes into account population density and how long it takes people to travel to a medical referral centre.
City manager Jim Harrold says the family health team’s efforts to make health care more accessible may well have been a factor in the ministry’s decision.
City staff will be in contact with the Ministry of Health to get more details, and then report back to council.