Chatham-Kent continues to have a family doctor shortage.
Laura Johnson, director of the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team, says it's unclear how many doctors make up the shortage, but the area continues to be designated by the province as "under-serviced."
Johnson says two family doctors have recently left the area with no one to replace them, leaving hundreds of patients doctorless.
Johnson says work is underway to fill the doctor void.
"Chatham-Kent now has a residency program. So, the students who are doing their residency and family medicine can come to do their entire training in Chatham-Kent, and that's wonderful for all the organizations that are hoping to recruit some of those folks," says Johnson.
Johnson says registering with healthcare connect is the best way to find a family doctor who is accepting patients.
Visit hcc3.hcc.moh.gov.on.ca to register.
Johnson says she continues reaching out to medical schools to attract doctors to the area.
"From my end, I certainly do reach out to any of the schools where there's a medicine program that have graduates to invite them to come and tour our family health team at all the sites, hoping there's an interest and they want to stay," Johnson says.
Johnson says attracting doctors to the area can be challenging based on where they want to work.
"Nothing as far as barriers at the government level. The barriers are more based on preference for those new physicians. They know where they want to work, whether they want to be in a rural setting or maybe they want to be in the GTA. So, those would be the biggest barriers for us," says Johnson.