The nine-person group planning a community-based medical centre has been working toward its goal for the past year. They are keenly aware of a timetable that calls for Norfolk County to purchase the present medical centre on St. George Street to be renovated for this community’s new public library. The group has been considering a new stand-alone building or to renovate an existing building.

The focus developed at past meetings is to have facilities to accommodate six or seven medical doctors in a building with nurse practitioners, health care providers, a pharmacist, radiologist and other services.

Port Dover Health Care Initiative is headed by Chair Rick Bedding with Vice-chair Dr. Mick Macaulay. Secretary Leanna Thompson and Treasurer Gord Leaker are assisted by Doug Archibald, Katie Buck, Reagan Karges, Pam Schneider and Ozzie Stahl. The organization is incorporated with a business and financial plan.

Their meetings since January of this year have considered ways and means to accomplish their goal of a new medical centre by being pro-active in the community. That includes fundraising. At an estimated $200.00 sq. ft., the cost of construction is in the $3-million to $4-million range plus the cost of land, services and outfitting. Rather than build their own structure a proposal that was sent out to have developers build a suitable structure in a lease arrangement resulted in two responses. Landowners and contractors have also been approached. Nothing firm to date has resulted from that, but Initiative members are pursing leads.

Time lines for construction of a new medical centre building is said to be 15 months, and for the renovation of an existing building is 12 months.

Members of the Initiative group are keenly aware of the problems facing any fundraising campaign with the nearby U.S. Steel (Canada) Inc. plant on lay-off and other area businesses cutting back during these economic times.

Members of the Port Dover group have visited the new medical centre in Delhi. This facility is being suggested as a model that may be satisfactory for this community. In that arrangement the doctors in the building work under one of two plans: Fee for Service; or Family Health Team. Reports indicate that many young doctors seek a ‘turn-key operation’ whereby when they move in all that is expected of them is to see patients, with the business end of their practice handled by the medical centre staff. Delhi Medical Centre is operated by a board of directors.

Vice-chair Dr. Macaulay is developing a brochure to enlist doctors to locate in Port Dover. He has three target groups of doctors: young physicians; physicians retiring but wanting to work part time; doctors wanting to relocate from their existing locations. In this effort Norfolk County is also recruiting medical practitioners as 12 more are reported needed to support this county’s 41 doctors.

Port Dover Health Care Initiative is planning to hold its annual general meeting in November. - Wednesday, October 28, 2009