Rural Health Week is underway, and from May 26th to the 30th, residents are encouraged to think about what goes into rural health care, and celebrate some of the folks who make it happen.
The week was officially declared last year by the Province; however, the campaign has been an annual event for “many years.”
Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) Marketing and Communications Manager Jessica Surgenor says the week is important not only because it recognizes the hard work of rural healthcare workers, but also highlights some of the critical needs in the province’s healthcare system.
“It’s a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions of rural healthcare providers, and also community volunteers who keep healthcare close to home in rural Alberta,” she says.
Attracting and retaining healthcare workers in Alberta’s rural communities has been a significant priority for RhPAP and dozens of municipalities around the province for years now, and Surgenor says the week is critical in spreading the word about rural health needs.
“We work directly with rural communities, high school and post-secondary students, and then also healthcare professionals to ensure rural Albertan communities have access to the sustainable healthcare services,” she says. “ We’ve been supporting the attraction, integration, and retention of rural healthcare professionals for over 30 years.”
“It’s one of the many initiatives where it gives us an opportunity, and communities, the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the impact of rural health teams and then those community efforts,” she adds.
Surgenor says getting involved is easy too. Between May 26th and the 30th, municipalities are encouraged to shine a spotlight on their local healthcare professionals by organizing community events like barbecues, while residents can simply write in a thank you note to their healthcare provider, stop by for an in-person visit, or use the hashtag- #ABRuralHealthMatters on social media to spread the word.
