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Panelists say housing and flexible work are key to recruiting Park City first responders and health workers
Summary
Fire, police and hospital leaders said high housing costs and long commutes make recruiting difficult; hospital leaders and the county are exploring affordable housing on hospital land and flexible workplace policies to retain staff.
Recruitment and retention were recurring concerns at a Park City community panel, where officials said the area’s high cost of living and long commutes limit the candidate pool for firefighters, officers and hospital staff.
Unidentified Speaker 3 and Unidentified Speaker 2 described the challenge: strict professional and certification requirements plus housing costs mean many workers commute long distances or cannot be recruited. Unidentified Speaker 3 said some hires previously were required to live locally, but that hiring practices have relaxed because the local housing market makes residency infeasible for many candidates.
Hospital representatives noted growth in clinical capacity: Unidentified Speaker 2 said the hospital grew from roughly 148 doctors on staff to 956 over about 15 years and now offers more telehealth specialties, allowing more care to stay in the community. The hospital is working with the county and board president Lori Weston (identified) to redevelop parcels near the hospital for affordable housing to attract staff.
County and hospital leaders also described non‑monetary retention steps: telecommuting, flexible scheduling and other quality‑of‑life benefits intended to offset housing costs. Unidentified Speaker 6 said the county has authorized managers to build flexible programs for employees.
Panelists said they will continue to pursue housing solutions tied to workforce needs and highlighted the need for long‑term local planning to keep emergency and medical services staffed.
