TIGNISH, P.E.I. — The mayor of Tignish and the manager of the Tignish Health Centre Co-op are confident the P.E.I. Department of Health is committed to finding a physician and other health-care professionals for the town.
Mayor Allan McInnis updated his council at a recent meeting on the discussion he and members of the health centre held earlier in the day with provincial government officials.
“The big word at that meeting was collaboration between the town, the health centre, Health P.E.I. and the minister of health,” McInnis said.
The mayor said the Tignish representatives who attended the meeting in Summerside noted that applications for a nurse practitioner position at the health centre were closing shortly, and he’s hoping the position can be filled soon. He also reported that the recruiting and retention secretariat is active in Ireland helping to attract a new physician to Tignish and that the secretariat is putting out feelers in British Columbia.
'ALL POSITIVE'
Wendy Arsenault, manager of the health centre, said government officials presented a proposal that could see even more services being provided at the centre than what its board was requesting.
“It’s all positive, but it’s in the early days right now,” Arsenault said. “There’s still a lot more meetings.”
Arsenault is encouraged by what government is proposing.
“Now that we’re like everybody else in Canada – looking for a doctor – they are trying to help us with that. We never had to ask for help before, and now we do.”
Since last fall, the health centre has been relying on a virtual primary care service offered one day a week by retired Tignish Health Centre physician Dr. Declan Fox.
Fox is currently back at the health centre as a locum, providing care there five days a week until late April. Arsenault said, appointments were being booked into the first week of his stay even prior to his arrival.
“I was very, very happy with what we were presented with,” McInnis told his council.
To help with the recruitment effort, McInnis named councillors Angel Murphy, Debbie Fennessey and Sam Arsenault to sit on a committee and strategize on getting a digital recording, including drone photos and videos, highlighting the benefits of living in Tignish. He wants the promotional package to be available to the health centre and Health P.E.I. for use as a recruitment tool.
