Health Care Attraction & Retention Strategy

Health Care Attraction & Retention Strategy

OVERVIEW

As a major urban centre of 85,000 residents and servicing a total trade area population of nearly 300,000, Grande Prairie is the regional hub for health and medical services in northwestern Alberta. With a median age of 34 and more residents below the age of 10 than over the age of 60, and a projected growth rate above the provincial rate of 1.5 per cent, the City and surrounding region will continue to require a diverse suite of health care services.

Home to Alberta’s newest hospital, Grande Prairie’s robust health care sector is something northwestern Alberta counts on. With everything from emergency services to a state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility, to specialists like ophthalmology and nephrology, a full spectrum of care is available for residents. The new regional hospital and cancer centre helps more northern patients receive specialized and complex care, closer to home and with shorter wait times, a service that will require a robust workforce across all health care fields.

While health care falls under provincial jurisdiction, the City of Grande Prairie recognizes the importance of a robust local health workforce for residents quality of life and workforce attraction. With many levels of government and non-governmental organizations (NGO) touching workforce development, the City’s Health Care Attraction and Retention Strategy considers the opportunities that the municipality has to contribute to the attraction and retention of professionals in this field.

While all health care professionals are needed, the strategy will identify specific actions that can be taken with respect to the attraction and retention of physicians and specialists by increasing awareness of our community’s opportunities, identifying incentives, encouraging students to pursue careers in medicine and exploring innovative investments in infrastructure that will set the City apart as a destination of choice for both new and experienced professionals.

Building a comprehensive strategy to guide the City’s actions to support all health professionals as part of this larger ecosystem will require a suite of activities to build local capacity and awareness and set the foundation for sustainable future growth. 1 FBM, Retail Market Analysis. 2023 2023 Retail Market Analysis finds Grande Prairie has a robust retail sector with room to grow | City of Grande Prairie (cityofgp.com) 2 Stats. Canada 2021 Census

TIMELINE

In 2016, an Economic Impact and Gap Analysis of the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital (GPRH) was completed by Deloitte. The main objectives of the research was to understand the GPRH operations and translate them into monetary values, and assess the total economic impacts of the GPRH operations; direct and indirect and induced impacts, in addition to determining the potential impacts of the GPRH operations to the Grande Prairie Region’s economy.

In 2020, the City of Grande Prairie commissioned MDB Insight (now Deloitte) to develop a Health Sector Development Strategy to guide strategic partnerships and investment attraction initiatives to drive growth. The report provided a deeper understanding of the current health sector ecosystem through comprehensive stakeholder engagement, asset mapping, situational analysis, and identification of complementary sub-sectors. Key pillars of the Health Sector Development Strategy included a priority for Workforce Development and Attraction.

In 2021, City Council identified Health Care Attraction and Retention as one of their strategic and advocacy priorities. Addressing the shortage of health care professionals in the city supports residents’ quality of life and enhances our reputation as a community of choice.

On December 4, 2021 the new Grande Prairie Regional Hospital officially opens, providing services to the city and northwest region.

In 2022, City Council directed the Administration to develop a comprehensive strategy to support the attraction and retention of health practitioners in the city.

On June 6, 2023, Administration provided City Council a matrix of possible options to explore with respect to attraction and retention. At their June 12, 2023 Council meeting, Council subsequently accepted the report for information and adopted to provide feedback to Administration on potential options outlined in the Health Care Attraction and Retention Strategy matrix prior to the strategy being finalized.

City Council formally adopts Health Care Supports as an advocacy priority, including Attraction and Retention of Health Care Professionals, Local Training of Physicians and Cardiac Care Unit for GPRH. Strategy to support Attraction and Retention in the City.

PRINCIPLE ENABLERS IN ATTRACTION

Figure 1.0 Provincial and Local Stakeholders in Attraction & Recruitment and Retention

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Attraction

(AHS, Health Sect or & Community)

Recruitment (AHS and Health Sec tor)

Retention & Appreciation (AHS, Health Sect or & Community)

Integration (AHS, Health Sect or & Community)

Figure 2.0 Provincial and Local Stakeholders in Attraction & Recruitment and Retention

MUNICIPAL ROLE IN ATTRACTION & RETENTION

With many stakeholders involved both formally and informally in the growth and development of a health workforce in Grande Prairie, the City will consider prioritizing areas where municipal support and action can have the greatest impact. The actions will taken with the following considerations in in mind:

PARTNERSHIP

Where possible, the City will avoid duplication of existing activities to support attraction by working with local stakeholders who are actively engaged in this work, and explore opportunities to partner, enhance and support activities.

PROMOTION

Sharing information about the community, the high quality of life, ample amenities and benefits of living and working in Grande Prairie will support the city, regional partners, and recruitment agencies, including AHS, to ensure that potential candidates are aware of all the benefits residents enjoy both within the City and in the wider region.

APPRECIATION

Considering both new recruits, and recognizing and appreciating long service in the community will be essential to not only attracting and training a new workforce, but also encouraging up-skilling and retention within the community.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Investing in people and in infrastructure, and supporting innovative models of service delivery in the city and region will offer new possibilities for both attraction and retention and enable a robust champion ecosystem that can assist the City to plan and prepare for future growth.

EDUCATION

Working with Northwestern Polytechnic, universities and government partners will provide future residents opportunities to ‘grow our own’ talent in the region and ensure future training is aligned with changing industry and demographic needs.

Educating at both the high school and post-secondary levels will build awareness among educators, students and parents about both the training available locally, and the opportunities that Grande Prairie is pursuing that will lead to sustainable and fulfilling career options for local residents and those looking to re-locate to the community.

WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW

MEDICAL STUDENT & RESIDENT EASTLINK PASSES

The City provides access to our Eastlink Centre on an annual basis to residents and medical student and resident who are living and working in the City, to raise awareness of this amenity and to encourage students to consider the city as a place of practice once they complete their studies. The funding for these passes is provided through the Economic Development department’s operating budget, approved annually by City Council.

REGIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP

The City has worked collaboratively with the County of Grande Prairie, Municipal District of Greenview, Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce and Northwestern Polytechnic and Alberta Labour and Immigration to identify labour market needs and assess and develop actions to attract and build a skilled labour force. Marketing opportunities for the health care sector will be explored as part of the ongoing efforts to create marketing materials and action targeted attraction campaigns, support local employers and fill job vacancies.

PHYSICIAN SITE VISITS

The City has informally supported physician site visits through an ongoing partnership with AHS.

MEDICAL STUDENT ORIENTATION WEEK

The City has sponsored and attended medical student orientation events to share community information in partnership with AHS, who provide details on employment opportunities in the city and region.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA MD AMBASSADORS PROGRAM

The City has sponsored and facilitated bringing in medical student ambassadors to speak at local high schools, encouraging local students to pursue a career in medicine.

PHYSICIAN APPRECIATION EVENT

The City hosts an annual physician & family appreciation event.

ASCLEPIUS MEDICAL CAMP

The City is helping facilitate a one-week summer medical camp for high school students who have an interest in entering the medical field. The camp is run by U of A medical students and local preceptors.

MASKWA MEDICAL CENTRE

The City of Grande Prairie has provided $50,000 in funding towards the development of the project in 2020 and a further $500,000 in funding in 2023. In 2024, the County of Grande Prairie and the Municipal District of Greenview approved a contribution of $500,000 each in funding towards the project.

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO

STRATEGY AND ACTIONS

To support the development of a robust health care ecosystem, drive development and attract investment, the City will take a strategic approach to the attraction and retention of physicians and allied health care professionals.

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO: INFORMATION

GOAL

Develop an increased public awareness of Grande Prairie’s opportunities in the health care sector and build a skilled local workforce.

INTENT

By increasing awareness of local opportunities, the city will increase our competitive advantage in attracting and retaining health professionals and encouraging students to pursue careers in health care, thereby increasing access to care for our local and regional residents.

KEY ACTIONS

1. Develop a coordinated strategy and action plan to support health care workforce development locally.

2. Collaborate to market our community and our opportunities in health care.

3. Raise awareness around health care careers among students.

4. Build local and regional networks in the health care sector.

5. Build relationship with key government partners and stakeholders.

6. Encourage new business development in the health sector.

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO: INCENTIVES

GOAL

Enhance incentives offered to boost attraction and retention of health care providers.

INTENT

By investing in incentives that will attract and retain new graduates in high demand health care sectors within the city, we can enhance our labour pool and further develop our local health care professionals skillset.

KEY ACTIONS

1. Invest in incentives to attract physicians, specialists and medical residents.

2. Invest in incentives to build a skilled and local health workforce.

3. Support networking opportunities to enhance community awareness, integration and appreciation.

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO: INFRASTRUCTURE

GOAL

Advance infrastructure projects that will boost capacity and support the development of a health care cluster.

INTENT

By identifying and supporting innovation and alternative models of service delivery whereby physicians, specialists, residents and allied health care providers have access to the necessary infrastructure to deliver service to the local community, we will increase new business and investment opportunities in the health sector.

KEY ACTIONS

1. Invest in community infrastructure, including clinics and alternative service models.

2. Invest in projects to boost community housing.

HOW WE WILL MEASURE OUR SUCCESS

The success of this strategy will be measured by examining following indicators over the next three years:

Number of physicians and specialists who are practicing within the City and area within a 30 km radius.

Retention rate for health professionals who continue to choose Grande Prairie and area as their home.

Number of medical residents and firstround CARMS matching for Grande Prairie.

Number of new medical and health specialty service clinics that open and operate within the city.

Increased awareness amongst students of health career opportunities in Grande Prairie.

Number of successful physician and specialist site visits supported by the city.

Resident satisfaction based on the citizen satisfaction survey.

CONCLUSION

Strategy for Health Care Attraction and Retention is directly linked to broader City Council and Invest Grande Prairie goals to develop a skilled health workforce and health care cluster in the City, and further support population growth, job creation, investment attraction and regional growth initiatives.

APPENDIX: KEY TERMS & STAKEHOLDERS

GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA

There are numerous key stakeholders that are part of the health care ecosystem. Alberta Health is the ministry responsible for setting policy and direction to achieve a sustainable and accountable health system to promote and protect the health of Albertans.1

“The ministry consists of the Department of Health, Alberta Health Services, and the Health Quality Council of Alberta. The Minister of Health is supported by two parliamentary secretaries for emergency medical services (EMS) reform and rural health. […] The Department of Health administers financial operations in accordance with the government’s financial legislation, including administration of the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP). The AHCIP, in accordance with the Canada Health Act, provides publicly funded basic health services and publicly funded hospital services to eligible residents of Alberta.2

The Minister appoints members to provincial agencies that support the delivery of health care in the province, including the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA).

ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is Alberta’s province wide integrated health system responsible for delivering health services to Albertans, managing health facilities, students receiving clinical education in AHS facilities and locations and community based services designed to assist Albertans in maintaining and improving their overall health status.3

AHS has a Talent Acquisitions department that focuses on the attraction and retention of the health workforce in local communities and also has Physician Resource Planners (one local to Grande Prairie) who support the identification around needs and the recruitment of physicians and specialists to AHS facilities, including the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital (GPRH).

AHS also has a robust Community Engagement department that manages community feedback, patient experiences and through nine Health Advisory Council’s, Provincial Advisory Councils (Addictions and Mental Health, Cancer, etc.) and the Indigenous Wisdom Council who engage at the local level through appointed community representatives and serve as a conduit to the AHS Senior Leadership teams. These councils will be phased out as of June 2024, with new regional councils being formed through Alberta Health.

Grande Prairie Regional Hospital – An $850 M acute care facility in Grande Prairie (opened 2021), offering a wide-range of acute and outpatient care including 24-hour emergency, Grande Prairie Cancer Centre, surgery, mental health, intensive care, obstetrics and pediatrics. The old QEII hospital remains open with a limited offering of services.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS & AGENCIES

The health services ecosystem includes a number of other organizations that support the development of health professionals through training, financial support, community engagement and advocacy.

1 Health | Alberta.ca

2 Ministry Business Plan Health. (2023). https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/bb547784-e775-4eed-aa9c-0aa4a1aece8a/resource/1df7bfa2-f912-4918-9030-cced36b99da9/download/hlthhealth-business-plan-2023-26.pdf

3 Alberta Health Services. (2024). About AHS | Alberta Health Services

APPENDIX: KEY TERMS & STAKEHOLDERS

POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS:

University of Alberta and University of Calgary – Primary teaching sites and the only two accredited medical education providers in Alberta. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta includes the Rural Family Medicine program which includes Grande Prairie as one of its training sites for first- and second-year medical residents.

Northwestern Polytechnic – Local post-secondary training institution (polytechnic) in Grande Prairie providing training for health care aids, nurses, paramedics and a variety of other allied health professions. NWP partners with the Grande Prairie and Reginal Hospital (GPRH) to provide a health education centre within the hospital for nurses and other healthcare professionals through the Evaskevich Centre for Health Research and Innovation. NWP is actively working with the University of Alberta School of Medicine and Dentistry on the Rural Alberta Medical Education Expansion project, which will focus on recruiting, training and retaining rural medical professionals in Grande Prairie and region.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS & AGENCIES

PROVINCIAL AGENCIES

Northern Alberta Development Council – Government of Alberta’s advisory agency on Alberta’s northern region. Through the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade the Northern Development Bursary Program provides bursaries for students wishing to return to the north to work after graduation in high demand fields. Specialty bursaries are available for medical education and pharmacy, in addition to partnership bursaries for employers/communities wishing to co-sponsor a bursary. AHS also partners partners on the Health Care Practicum Funding Program offering funding for students coming to do practicums in northern AHS facilities.

Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) – Funded by Alberta Health, RhPAP provides funding and support for rural (communities of 15,000 or less) community attraction and retention committee’s, rural physician locum coverage, and physician continuing education, financial supports for rural medical professionals and opportunities for students from high school to medical school get excited and aware of careers in rural health care. They also manage the Rural Education Supplement and Integrated Doctor Experience (RESIDE) Program offering return for service bursaries to medical students willing to work in approved communities after graduation.

LOCAL AGENCIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS

Maskwa Medical Centre – The centre will be an innovative not-for-profit medical center that will provide timely diagnoses and treatment planning for patients with complex medical conditions or diseases that can be difficult to diagnose. Their mission is to have a patient-centered organization led by physicians in a cohesive team environment that provides timely access to world-class specialized expertise for diagnosis and treatment planning for patients with complex medical conditions or diseases that are more difficult to diagnose. The City of Grande Prairie has provided $50,000 in funding towards the development of the project in 2020 and a further $500,000 in funding in 2023. Construction is anticipated as early as 2026.

South Peace Professional Attraction and Retention Committee (SPPARC) – The group’s focus is to build a sustainable system for healthcare providers attraction, recruitment support, and retention that facilitates ongoing health services in the Peace/Grande Prairie region. The group is made up of municipal representatives, AHS, community at large and is supported by RhPAP. The City of Grande Prairie representative Mayor Jackie Clayton is invited to attend the meetings, as a non-voting member to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration.

APPENDIX: KEY TERMS & STAKEHOLDERS

Grande Prairie and Regional Hospital Foundation – The Foundation’s role is to create the conduit for community donations to directly support the purchase of necessary hospital equipment and fund programs that will support the quality of everyday hospital and community health care. Their annual Festival of Trees fundraiser is an anchor event in the region.

MEDICAL COMMUNITY

Primary Care Network Grande Prairie – The Grande Prairie PCN was formed in 2010 to work with local primary care physicians in the delivery of primary healthcare services. The PCN provides innovative and collaborative initiatives that improve communication, increase coordination of services, and enhance medical clinic practices to better meet the needs of the community.

Medical/Physician Clinics – In Alberta, physicians are paid through various compensation models, fee-for-service, salary, capitation, blended payments and alternative payment programs4 , with the most prevalent being a Fee-for-Service Model. Alternative Relationship Plans (ARP) are another way in which physicians are compensated through academic medicine or clinical ARP. Physician clinics are considered private businesses and physicians are regulated through the Government of Alberta, Alberta Medical Association (AMA) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSA).

4 The College of Family Physicians of Canada. (2023). Equitable and Fair Remunerations for Physicians. cfpc.ca/CFPC/media/Resources/Health-Policy/HPGR-Equitable-and-Fair-Remuneration-Nov23-EN.pdf