| Recruiting new physicians seems to be a goal for just about every rural community in Ontario, and Barry’s Bay and Area is no exception.
With this in mind, a Health Professional Recruitment Tour, intended to provide under serviced communities with an opportunity to meet with and recruit health care professionals, recently took place. Barry’s Bay and Area Physician Recruiter Erin Gienow participated, visiting five academic centre cities in five days.
In addition to pitching “rural” living to “urban” health care professionals, the tour afforded the opportunity to debut the Barry’s Bay and Area Physician Recruitment Committee’s new marketing materials. These include a dynamic tradeshow display board, lively six-minute video and comprehensive information package, all centred on the theme “Picture Yourself in Barry’s Bay and Area.” The message incorporates eye-catching photographs showcasing the community’s lifestyle assets as well as medical images in a bid to attract energetic and motivated health workers to an active, family-oriented community.
Purchase of the materials was made possible through funding from the Eastern Ontario Development Program, administered by the Renfrew County Community Futures Development Corporation (RCCFDC).
The number of interested parties from the tour and marketing campaign are promising with one physician even taking a trial shift in the St. Francis Memorial Hospital’s ER. So can you picture yourself in Barry’s Bay and Area? We’ll soon see which new physicians can! | 
