Partnership the key to recruitment and retention of health-care providers

Symposium attracts more than 400 HHR professionals across Ontario

TORONTO, June 17 /CNW/ - Increasing the collaborative efforts among Ontario health-care stakeholders is essential to the recruitment and retention of physicians, nurses and other health-care providers, an audience of health human resource (HHR) professionals heard today at a symposium.

Stronger Together: Collaboration in Health Human Resources, hosted by HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency (HFO MRA), attracted more than 400 HHR stakeholders. Among the attendees - who spanned the province, from Windsor to Moose Factory to Hawkesbury - were local health-care recruiters and representatives from hospitals, family health teams, health-care professional associations, universities and settlement agencies.

"I'm happy to be part of the HFO MRA symposium, which emphasizes important collaboration and partnerships among Ontario's health-care stakeholders," said Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews. "It also reminds us of the tremendous grassroots role that cities, towns and communities across the province play in the recruitment and retention of health-care providers."

HFO MRA is an independent operational service agency of the Government of Ontario. The Agency is part of the province's HealthForceOntario strategy, to ensure Ontarians have access to the right number and mix of health-care providers, now and in the future.

"We know from experience that health-care providers who find the right fit at the front end of the recruitment process tend to stay and practise in those communities for the long-term. That's why we work in partnership with local recruiters, recruitment and retention committees, and other HHR stakeholders across Ontario," said Brad Sinclair, Executive Director, HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency.

In doing so, HFO MRA has helped communities and stakeholders repatriate and recruit more than 300 practice-ready physicians to the province. The Agency is also working with another 500 interested physicians, one-on-one, with licensing and certification, immigration, setting up a practice and job-searching.

Symposium sessions focused on provincial HHR programs and initiatives; strategies and tools to assist HHR stakeholders in the recruitment and retention of health-care providers; the impact to Ontario of Canada's Agreement on Internal Trade regarding health-care providers; Health Care Connect, the province's unattached-patient program; the migration of health professionals into and out of Canada; and the award-winning recruitment and retention program involving a Family Health Team in Marathon, Ontario.

Backgrounder (HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency)

The Agency is part of the province's HealthForceOntario strategy, to ensure Ontarians have access to the right number and mix of health-care providers, now and in the future.

The Agency is the operating arm of HealthForceOntario, and implements, executes and manages a range of programs, events and activities that support the overall Strategy.

    
    Since 2007, the Agency has had an evolving mandate that now focuses on:
    -   Recruiting qualified health care professionals into Ontario.
    -   Assisting internationally educated health professionals living in
        Ontario to become qualified to practise in the province.
    -   Retaining Ontario's domestically trained health-care professionals.
    -   Facilitating the delivery of clinical care through the administration
        of locum programs.
    -   Administering and managing interprofessional care grant programs.
    

For more information: visit www.HealthForceOntario.ca

For further information: Media Contact: Cliff Luis, Senior Communications Lead, Tel: [phone], Cell: 416-509-0627, E-mail: [email protected]