Council approves funding for clinic, health measures in budget

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tillsonburg is one step closer to a temporary walk-in clinic after town council gave a preliminary stamp of approval to the concept and a host of other health measures.

At the Dec. 16 budget meeting, a motion was passed unanimously to share the cost of a health care professional recruitment coordinator with the hospital, that further partnerships be explored with surrounding municipalities and organizations to jointly fund the role, that town staff create a marketing and communications plan to attract health care professionals, that the town support Discovery Week with the University of Western Ontario medical students, that the present physician recruitment incentive for doctors who locate in town be unchanged, that the town continue to support existing physicians and efforts by the Oxford Ontario Health Team and the Primary Care Network in their efforts to start a temporary clinic in Tillsonburg for unrestored patients.

The motion also spoke to funding the expenses by using all the funds in the Physicians Recruitment Reserve and the remainder of $141,323 be part of the 2025 budget deliberations. Although all council members voted to include the measures in the budget, it isn’t finalized until the budget is passed in late January.

Much of the debate on the topic took place at the Dec. 9 regular council meeting when separate reports and motions were presented regarding the physician recruiter position and the temporary walk-in clinic. The town and Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital previously approved a physician recruiter and hired a person. That person was there a short time before leaving for another position but did lend a hand in recruiting the new nurse practitioner at the hospital.

Deputy Mayor Dave Beres, who chairs the Community Health Care Committee, told council there are currently 14 physicians in Tillsonburg and there should be 24.6. He said some communities pay doctors signing bonuses, but he doesn’t feel that is the way to go.

“We feel with our research that is not the most effective way of doing things,” he said, saying the doctors often leave after the contract term. “When we spoke with the Ministry of Health and the (Ontario) medical association, they said that funding positions is, they called it, ‘A race to the bottom’.”

Beres suggested the solution was to create a health team with a doctor and nurse practitioner.

CAO Kyle Pratt explained the financial implications of draining the physician recruitment reserve, which had been used to provide start-up funding to new doctors to pay for office expenses and fund Discovery Week. Once the reserve is empty, funding for these programs must come from the general tax levy.

“As much as this council wants to bring a responsible budget to the community in times of restraint and economic uncertainty, we need medical professionals,” said Coun. Bob Parsons.

He later pointed out close to 2,000 people don’t have access to a doctor in Tillsonburg and questioned how it would work if Tillsonburg ratepayers funded the clinic and residents from neighbouring municipalities would want to use it.

Mayor Deb Gilvesy said she receives calls from residents of Norfolk, Bayham, and other municipalities about health care and suggested looking into the issue of residents of other municipalities using facilities funded by Tillsonburg ratepayers.

Coun. Kelly Spencer agreed, saying the committee should look into it further.

At the budget meeting, Parsons suggested that if the community was made aware of the situation, private donations and residents' leaving money in their wills towards a clinic cost may be possible.

Coun. Chris Parker agreed the funding was desperately needed.

“It’s unfortunate the municipality has to fund this,” he added. “It should come down from the province, and have trickled down from the federal government.”

“This to me is a kick start,” Beres said. “If we do nothing, nothing will happen.”

Spencer noted that the motion refers to physicians, and it should say primary care providers to include nurse practitioners, as Tillsonburg had applied for a nurse practitioner clinic like Ingersoll’s.

Gilvesy was hopeful there would be a second round of funding for the nurse practitioner clinic.