Health, Politics

Area C Director’s Report: primary care recruitment & positive e-petition policy shift

From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney

Hello,
This report shares some recent learning about primary care provider recruitment and news about a Board decision regarding receipt of electronic petitions.

Access to Primary Care Providers

Having a family doctor or nurse practitioner is important for healthful living, yet it can be a challenge to acquire one. It’s something we hear about regularly on the news and in social media and a topic I get asked about. Recently I attended a Healthcare Summit in Nanaimo, hosted by the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District, and recruitment of primary care providers was one of the topics we dove into. There were a few community-focused takeaways I thought were interesting that I want to share with you…

Registration helps!

The Health Connect Registry is the Province’s centralized primary care registry – and when it comes to recruiting primary care providers, it matters if you and your family members are registered as needing a family doctor. Unattached patient data from the registry is used to focus support on community practitioner recruitment. So, if you or a family member happens to be ‘unattached’, it’s a quick process to register which can be done by calling 8-1-1 or visiting hcr.healthlinkbc.ca. Registration helps our community get the healthcare practitioners we need.

Community approach

Recruiting a new doctor or nurse practitioner requires a community approach: it goes beyond just one person or organization. A coordinated community conversation and a warm welcome to visiting prospects will increase the likelihood of recruitment success. Plus, recruiting a primary care provider is not just about one person, it often means recruiting a family and showing how our community might be a good fit for all of them.

There’s a recruitment committee 

The Quadra Island Health Society, chaired by Claire Trevena, operates the Quadra Island Medical Clinic. Having a registered nonprofit society operating the clinic allows a primary care provider more time to care for islanders and less time concerned with the business side of operating a clinic. 

Within the Health Society is a Recruitment Committee, headed by Shaun Porter. If you’re looking for more information and/or would like to engage with the recruitment team and community conversation approach to recruiting primary care providers to Quadra Island you can email [email protected]. Good healthcare grows in communities that show up for one another!

Electronic petitions

This is a little story of government policies and how change can happen. In March 2025, the SRD Board received a delegation from Shirley Turner of the Surge Narrows Community Association regarding potential Strathcona Gardens taxation of Area C residents. Included in the presentation was an electronic petition with 484 signatures. As Ms. Turner explained, ‘an e-petition was used as Outer Discovery Islanders are widely scattered and hampered by weather and transport issues from signing a centrally located paper petition’.

Staff followed up a couple of months later with a report outlining the incongruence between the e-petition and Policy CP-016, Receipt of Correspondence by the Board. This correspondence policy includes petitions, and the requirement of original signatures on petitions was not met with the electronic petition presented in March.

Positive policy shift 

I’m very pleased to share that November 19th the Board resolved to amend Policy CP-016 by removing the ban on electronic petitions being received by the Board. In a broad region like the SRD with remote and pocket communities who deserve equitable access to inclusion in the petition process to provide input to the Board, this policy revision is a win for all residents of the SRD. The updated policy will be returned to the Board for final consideration likely early in the new year.

Connect

Thanks for reading! As always, you’re welcome to connect with me with questions or concerns: email [email protected], or call 250.203.2468. Visit RobynMawhinney.ca for links to helpful community resources and ‘back issues’ of Director Reports.

Until next time,
Respectfully,
Director Robyn Mawhinney

Links of Interest:

Images in this report are from Rebecca Spit Provincial Marine Park which I’ve been frequenting as my new pup practices walking around people and dogs