One of Sundre’s most prominent medical professionals has been elected chair of the Rural Health Professions Action Plan.
Dr. Rob Warren, who with his wife Dr. Michelle Warren operates the Moose and Squirrel Medical Clinic, had been serving as the board’s vice-chair since January.
“It’s a wonderful organization,” he said.
“I’m really excited to be a part of this in a leadership role.”
The organization has for the past eight years been a strong, vocal advocate that has made substantial contributions towards assisting the Sundre medical community — as well as others throughout the province — in its mission to ensure long-term sustainability, he said.
“Their efforts have been nothing short of fundamental for our physician community in town,” he said.
“It’s an organization that our community owes a great debt to.”
He said support has been made available in the form of housing medical students endeavouring to complete medical rotations as well as playing an instrumental role in the 2011 founding of the Sundre Health Professional Attraction and Retention Committee.
“Of the 12 doctors in town, eight of them are products of the Rural Health Professions Action Plan system that they created.”
The organization has a priority focus on doing everything possible to eliminate or at least reduce barriers for health-care workers to practise in rural communities, he said.
One barrier is that some potential medical professionals are not always aware of the advantages or opportunities available by working in a small town, he said.
But another impediment, he added, is that rural municipalities do not always necessarily know how to go about marketing their communities to reach and entice new doctors and nurses.
So part of RhPAP’s vision is to help bring all of the needed members of a medical team to small towns in an effort to stabilize and solidify rural health care throughout the province, he said.
Nominated by outgoing chair Dr. Bert Reitsma, Warren said he was elected to the position by acclamation in the absence of any other nominations. Without a fixed term limit, which might be revised in the organization’s terms of reference, Warren may remain chair until he nominates someone else. The board has members from a multitude of organizations throughout the province representing a variety of medical professionals.
“This board of directors is insanely talented,” he said.
“There are a lot of very talented people with different perspectives on health care in rural Alberta.”
As the new chair, part of Warren’s responsibilities will include serving as a spokesperson for the organization. But the doctor said he primarily sees his new duties as twofold.
The first is to lean on the experience of the other board members and to offer them the opportunity to participate in developing strategies moving forward, he said.
More importantly, he added, is to ensure the rural health workforce feels that the organization has their back. Although rural medical professionals are distributed widely across Alberta with limited resources, RhPAP is there to advocate on their behalf to strive towards ensuring stable and sustainable health services in small towns.
Reitsma, a Blairmore resident, had previously announced his intention to retire from practice. With Warren assuming the role of chair, stepping in as vice-chair will be Linda Humphreys. Other changes to the organization’s board will see Alberta Health Services representative Dr. Evan Lundall replaced with Dr. Jack Regehr from Magrath, as well as the addition of Dr. John O’connor as the representative of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, said a press release.
“I am humbled and honoured to be named chair,” said Warren.
“I hope to bring the same passion and enthusiasm to the role as Dr. Reitsma.”
