Interest in the state of health care in Chesley is high.
Around 150 attended a meeting last night at the Chesley Community Centre to hear presentations on future health care needs in Chesley.
Two of the speakers — Roy Mullen of the Brockton and Area Family Health Team and Chesley Physician Doctor Adam Winterton — talked about the benefits of joining a family health team like the one in Brockton.
Doctor Winterton says a family health team provides additional services that make delivering the care better and more efficient to the patient and the physician.
Another speaker — Sharon Musehl — spoke about doctor recruitment.
Musehl serves as a volunteer on the doctor recruitment committee and says the community needs to be proactive in finding new doctors and other health care professionals.
She adds the days of having doctors come down from the sky are over.
Musehl — who is the Director of Patient Care at the Chesley hospital — says they have been a bit complacent since finding two doctors a couple of years ago and needs to start work on doctor recruitment early.
There were discussions on fundraising and plans to expand the Chesley medical clinic but many in attendance asked about the cost of joining a family health team and how it that may effect their relationship with their own doctor.
Doctor Winterton says he is not surprised by the large turnout adding the community in Chesley is very supportive of physicians and health care professionals.
