A dose of success: City launches updated plan to recruit physicians

The City of Lethbridge is renewing efforts to attract more physicians, with an updated action plan. The plan builds off the successes seen in City Council’s previous efforts to promote Lethbridge as a great place for physicians to practice and create their home.

“Following City Council’s direction in 2022, we’ve seen positive results from recruitment efforts,” says Carly Kleisinger, Director of Community Services. “Collaboration with community partners and the Government of Alberta has been central to the success of these efforts. They’ve helped us to promote Lethbridge and the region as an ideal place to live and work.”

Focusing on marketing and advocacy, the new plan aims to meet the needs of the city and region’s growing population while targeting several areas of specialty medicine.  

“We know there is still a need for family physicians but we’re also seeing a growing demand for physicians who specialize in anesthesiology, child and adolescent mental health and emergency medicine to name just a few,” says Councillor, Belinda Crowson, committee chair. “This updated plan provides us strategic actions to move the needle forward in targeting these specialty physicians and meeting the needs of the community.”

The plan will begin immediately thanks to Council’s unanimous approval of $15,000 from the Council Contingency fund in May this year, as part of an official business motion co-sponsored by Mayor Blaine Hyggen and Councillor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel. The campaign will be completed and evaluated in early 2025.

“The Government of Alberta’s recent update regarding physician recruitment numbers is very encouraging, and we thank them for continuing to make Lethbridge a priority in their Health Workforce Strategy,” says Schmidt-Rempel. “We look forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Alberta and our partners in getting more physicians to call Lethbridge home."

The City has launched a dedicated webpage, lethbridge.ca/doctor, to provide interested physicians and their families with key information about Lethbridge. The webpage provides a fillable form which can connect physicians with everything from real estate, childcare and education information to sports and recreation opportunities.

For Public Inquiries:

Call 311 | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.