Terms of Reference
Purpose:
The purpose of the committee is to build a sustainable system for attraction and retention of healthcare professionals in collaboration with local physicians which will ensure ongoing medical services to the Community.
Objectives:
1. To coordinate attraction and retention of needed healthcare professionals amongst the existing Physicians, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Community.
2. To reduce the need for recruitment through retention efforts.
Efforts should focus on three areas:
➢ Integration into the medial practice
➢ Family integration into the community
➢ Family quality of life
3. To facilitate community involvement in the attraction and retention process together with physicians and AHS.
Membership:
1. The Committee should consist of representatives from the County of Northern Lights, MD of Peace 135, Village of Berwyn, and the Town of Grimshaw:
• 2 Municipal Elected Members of each Community – Voting members (Member and Alternate)
• 1 Chief Administrator Officer from each Community
• Rural Health Professionals Action Plan (RhPAP) Consultant
• Alberta Health Services
• Lac Cardinal Regional Economic Development Board
• 1 Doctor
• 2 Members at large
2. 1 Elected Official from each area should be in attendance at each meeting. (Voting Members)
3. The Town of Grimshaw will serve as Chair.
4. Vice Chair will be appointed by the committee as required.
5. Administrative support for the committee will be provided by the Town of Grimshaw.
Term:
1. Members of the Committee shall be appointed at the Annual Organizational Meeting of their respective Councils.
2. Members representing the County of Northern Lights, the Village of Berwyn, MD of Peace 135, and the Town of Grimshaw, shall ensure that alternate members are appointed and that the members are responsible to ensure alternates are advised of meetings if the appointed member is unable to attend.
Meetings:
1. Meetings shall be held at the call of the Chair. No meetings will be held during the months of July and August.
2. A simple majority of regular members of the Committee will constitute a quorum.
3. Minutes of each Committee meeting shall be shared by membership delegates back to their represented organization and the various stakeholders.
4. Minutes will be available to the public once approved by the Committee at a subsequent meeting.
5. Draft Minutes shall be distributed to members within one week of the meeting whenever possible.
6. Agendas shall be prepared and distributed to members one week in advance of the next scheduled meeting.
Communication:
1. The Chair shall be the contact for the Committee, unless there is an alternate designate, and will ensure that approved messages and actions of the committee are communicated to residents by way of newspaper, municipal websites, or other forms of communication.
Governance structure:
1. The Committee shall function on a collaborative/consensus committee process, meaning that all parties should participate equally, and that decision-making will aim to have full agreement on course of action to be followed.
2. The Committee may decide to appoint working sub-committees to work on specific functions, such as healthcare professionals’ attraction, clinic support, communication and marketing, organizing a site visit, housing, spousal employment, bursary partnership program, etc.
3. Such working sub-committees shall be chaired by one member of the committee and may include additional members outside the Committee. All working sub-committees should report back to the Committee on a regular basis.
Established April 2015/ Updated March 2022