East Gwillimbury
November 19, 2008 02:40 PM
Amanda Persico, Staff Writer
Finding a family doctor just got easier in East Gwillimbury.
The town, an under-serviced area, according to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, welcomed four new medical faces into the growing area.
“It’s a milestone. We filled our clinic space, plus one,” said Councillor Marlene Johnston, who is also a member of the East Gwillimbury physician recruitment and retention committee.
Three of the four doctors, Dr. Petra Oprea, Dr. Mahsa Safavi and Dr. Biruk Habteselassie are working out of the York Medical Clinic in East Gwillimbury, while Dr. Gurpreet Mand will work with the Southlake Family Health Team in Newmarket, but will see East Gwillimbury patients.
The doctors were given a grant from the province to locate to the area, Ms Johnston said. New doctors are required to stay in the area for five years.
“With the arrival of four more doctors, we’re looking out for the wellness of our residents and the wellness of our community,” Ms Johnston said.
For the past two years, East Gwillimbury has been on the hunt for doctors. The committee compared the town to other similar communities, but East Gwillimbury stood out against the crowd of under-serviced small communities because the town comes with the provinicial Places To Grow designation, Ms Johnston said.
“We’re aggressively planning for growth,” she said. “That was attractive.”
The new focus for the committee is encouraging developers to build medical health facilities, such as clinics and doctor offices, while recruiting doctors in medical school.
“We are continuing to recruit. We’re looking to doctors who are not ready to practice for a few years,” Ms Johnston said. “That gives us a little more time to build.”
The committee is hosting a meet and greet with the new doctors early in the new year.
The four new doctors are accepting new patients from East Gwilimbury.
Contact the York Medical Clinic for Dr. Oprea, Dr. Safavi and Dr. Habteselassie at 905-868-9243.
Contact the Southlake Health Team for Dr. Mand at 905-853-3103.