It's an exciting announcement for the region.
The Humboldt Doctor Recruitment committee is in talks with some doctors to work in Humboldt.
A couple weeks ago DonnaLyn Thorsteinson of the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce toured a potential doctor - Dr. Beverly Saul-Duke from the United Kingdom - around the community.
Saul-Duke will be practising in Humboldt this summer.
"She has been practising in England for the past 12 years and she will be coming here for three months in May," said Thorsteinson.
During her recent visit, Thorsteinson showed her around the community, helped her look for a place to live, helped her set up a bank account and post office box and visited several businesses to look for necessities like furniture and vehicles.
"We were able to represent the community in that way, which was really great to have that connection with them," said Thorsteinson. "We're really excited to have her come."
Although Saul-Duke has only agreed to a three-month term, there is a possibility she could stay longer.
"She's staying three months with the option to continue if she enjoys her time here," said Thorsteinson. "That's going to be where our whole doctor retention comes in - we need to work with the doctor when she comes to ensure she has a good experience here in Humboldt."
Thorsteinson mentioned there are more doctors interested in working in Humboldt as well.
"We do have a U of S grad who has signed and is going to start practising here in September," said Thorsteinson.
There are also three more doctors currently going through the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assesment (SIPPA) pilot program that may be on their way to Humboldt.
"If all works out and they pass everything that they need to, they will be looking - all three of them - to start here in late August," said Thorsteinson.
There are also two other doctors doing site visits this year with potential fall starts.
"So one will be starting in May and then another six that would be looking at being here in the fall," said Thorsteinson. "Now, of course, that's if everything happens the way it is supposed to."
The doctors are not in Humboldt yet and there is still some work to be done to get them here, said Thorsteinson.
"We are going to be continuing to look for more accommodations for them," said Thorsteinson. "That's going to be the biggest thing - finding some rental property for them while they are transitioning. That is one thing we are going to be looking for."
The committee will also be looking at developing a plan for providing doctor recruitment incentives - like transition housing and transportation assistance.
"We will be looking to municipalities in the region as well as businesses to help us with that incentive fund," said Thorsteinson.
They would also like to put together a welcome package for the doctors when they get here, with help from local businesses and organizations in the region.
"It is something that is going to get them out into our community and see some of the different things we have to offer here just to make sure that they do have a good experience when they first arrive here and get welcomed to the community properly," said Thorsteinson.
She explained they need some of these things in place for when the doctors come so they are interested in staying in the community.
"We continue to press the importance to the health region of continual recruitment," said Thorsteinson. "We do know, too, that doctors are not staying in communities as long as they used to and we always need to continually be looking at bringing doctors here, not only because we have some leave but because we are also having more growth in the region as well."
The committee wants to make sure they are able to cover the doctors' needs.
Thorsteinson explained it takes time to get doctors to the community, so they need to maintain constant vigilance.
"It isn't something that happens quickly," said Thorsteinson. "So we are really emphasizing the need for continual recruitment effort and retention efforts as well of our current doctors."
Not only is it important to recruit doctors to the region, Thorsteinson explained, they must also work for incentives for the doctors already in the community.
"In the short term, we stress the importance of getting some short-term coverage for our emergency room," said Thorsteinson.
They were looking at bringing some doctors out from Saskatoon to help cover shifts at the emergency room.
"That is what seems to be causing the most stress on our doctors right now," said Thorsteinson. "It is in the hands of medical affairs and we are really trying to push that through."
The committee is stressing the importance of the short-term help to both the health region and the provincial government.
"We are stressing that both with the health region and with the provincial government to try to make sure this happens sooner rather than later because our doctors have been pushed to the limit for quite some time here and they do need some relief sooner rather than later," said Thorsteinson.
They are looking for ways to keep the doctors in the area.
"They are at their limit right now for putting hours in and just a little bit of relief helps them see the light and let them know we are working for them as well," said Thorsteinson. "We don't want to wait until the new doctors arrive in the fall. We want to be continuing to help right now."
