The Physician Recruitment Taskforce of Sarnia-Lambton is highlighting its successes as it seeks another year of funding from the City of Sarnia.
Physician recruiter Carly Cox said five new family physicians were recruited last year and efforts continue to attract more.
"We have seven vacancies that will be coming in the next three years, that's a potential 14,000 patients that will be left without a doctor if we do not replace them, and we know that two will be retiring in 2020," said Cox.
She said physicians want variety in their practice now.
"They're not just working within their clinic, they're taking shifts at Bluewater Health, they're working in nursing homes and community health centres and other jobs to offer them some diversity," said Cox. "In addition, new graduates are looking for more of a work/lifestyle balance than ever before, so we are expecting to have to recruit two physicians for every one retirement."
Cox said the task force will give out six awards, equaling $9,000, to local medical students next year and launch a pilot program.
"We will connect Sarnia-Lambton Industrial Alliance employees, that do not have a family physician, with a family doctor," she said. "The whole goal of this program is to educate the public on the importance of having a family doctor and trying to be preventative in your own healthcare."
The task force is asking the city for $72,366 in 2020 -- representing about $1 per resident.
The task force was created in 2001 and has helped recruit 34 family physicians -- rostering over 85,000 patients in Lambton County.
Sarnia council will consider the request during budget deliberations on Tuesday, December 3.