Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Healthcare Workforce Recruitment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local recruitment coalition reports provider hires, seeks community support to retain new clinicians
Summary
The Southern Oregon recruitment coalition described efforts to recruit and retain primary-care providers to the Rogue Valley, including a new residency pipeline and two incoming primary-care doctors hired this winter, and asked community partners to help make new recruits feel welcome.
Representatives of a local recruitment coalition told the Medford City Council on May 7 that collaborative efforts to recruit primary-care providers have yielded several recent hires and are focused on retention as well as recruitment.
Brent (last name not specified), speaking as a representative of Valley Immediate Care and on behalf of the Southern Oregon coalition, said the group formed in December 2023 as a collective of private practices, community health centers and health partners to recruit primary-care clinicians to the Rogue Valley. “We are collaboratively recruiting health care providers primarily…primary care,” he said.
Brent described tactics to attract and retain providers: coordinated interviews that allow candidates to evaluate multiple local employers, community hospitality (including donated hotel stays and welcome baskets), marketing and outreach to physician assistant and doctor of osteopathy training programs, and social events to help recruits build local ties. He said two primary-care DOs recruited from out of state will begin local practice in December following multi-site interviews.
Councilors and coalition leaders said retention is a central goal. “We feel that if you recruit providers to the area and it's just a job, they don't make meaningful connections in the community, they're much less likely to stay,” Brent said. The coalition sponsored a gala and regular medical-society meetings to connect new providers with local businesses and civic groups.
The coalition is launching outreach visits to universities and residency programs, creating a new website and short videos that profile partner clinics, and planning community events to introduce candidates to the region. Council members asked about recruiting geography and strategy; Brent said the group recruits nationwide but focuses on candidates already licensed in Oregon for better odds of placement.
The presentation was informational; councilors offered encouragement and no formal action was recorded.
