New tools address rural health-care shortages

Press release

The results are in! New tools developed through the Ontario Rural Council are found to be useful for rural communities to address the chronic health human resource shortages.
These tools are part of the Rural Health Strategy: An integrated approach to healthy communities.
Three main tools were developed and tested during a series of six full-day community rural health forums. A Sourcebook for Recruitment and Retention of Health-Care Providers give communities and recruiters information and tips on effective techniques to bring and keep practitioners in their areas.
A CD-ROM about rural health careers can be used in classrooms, and encourages youth to pursue careers in the health field and practice in rural areas.
Finally, the new rural health Web site—www.ruralhealth.ca—hosts a range of information, tools, and resources related to rural health issues.
Through these tools, the project aims to incorporate a variety of sectors and approaches when addressing both the short- and long-term issues related to health-care provision.
“These tools can be a springboard to successful recruitment and retention,” said Cathy Brown, executive director of the Ontario Rural Council. “They help communities take an honest look at what is working, what is not, and what can be done for long-term improvement.”
More than 200 rural residents, health-care providers, recruitment committee members, and other stakeholders tested the tools at community rural health forums held across the province between September and February.
Some of the common factors for successful recruitment and retention activities involve effective marketing plans, financial and technical resources, community support for the practitioner, desirable working conditions, and a wide range of community involvement in the recruitment process.
The tools developed through this initiative will assist rural communities to build successful recruitment and retention strategies to address these factors.
In addition to the community forums, more than 600 youth from Grades 7-12 have attended presentations that introduced the rural health career CD-ROM.
The presentation encourages youth to pursue careers in the health field and return to rural communities to practise.
Students have varying perceptions about what “rural” means. Some are enthusiastic about small-town living while others are less so.
Career paths are chosen at varying ages, and influencing factors are television, peer, and mentorship experiences. By introducing health career options at an early age, students will be able to make more informative career decisions.
The Rural Health Strategy project is funded by Human Resources Development Cana-da. The Ontario Rural Council’s Rural Health Working Group has taken the lead on this initiative.
The tools and more information about the Rural Health Strategy are available on-line at www.ruralhealth.ca or can be ordered for a minimal cost from the Ontario Rural Council at 1-519-826-4128 or via e-mail at ruralhealth@torc.on.ca