ATHABASCA – The new Regional Health Care Attraction and Retention Committee (RHCARC) is still in its infancy but is hoping to start off on the right foot with a community barbecue this Friday at Riverfront Park to let those who work in the medical field know they are appreciated.
Medical professionals and the public are welcome to come down to the park starting at 11 a.m. June 10, where officials will be serving hot dogs and beverages in appreciation of local healthcare workers for not only the work they’ve done recently, but for the work they do every day and what a large contribution they make in the community.
The RHCARC has been growing rapidly as the acute need for medical professionals in the region becomes more severe and local communities try to plan for the future of rural healthcare in the region. The committee currently consists of two healthcare provider representatives, as decided by local physicians; one AHS representative; one representative each from Athabasca County, the Town of Athabasca, the Village of Boyle, M.D. of Opportunity, and Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement. Advisory memberships also exist in the form of a physician resource planner, the town CAO, and a representative from RhPAP. There are also four public members, who were only just recently appointed with Anne Karczmarczyk, Gerry Kiselyk, Doris Splane and Alyssia Strandlund filling those public positions.
Kiselyk said he wasn’t quite sure how many to expect as it’s the first time holding such an event and there are a number of variables that may come into play, including the privacy of those individuals. Regardless, he is still inviting everyone to join in, and if local healthcare professionals opt not to join in, at least they’ll still know they are very much appreciated for the work they do.
And not just the doctors and nurses either; anyone who works in the field, whether it is in reception, or environmental, or laundry, they all deserve to be appreciated.
With such a large region, he said, it may be tough for everyone who is represented on the committee to join in, but a similar event is planned for Boyle down the road, and many others are possible.
