If you're having trouble finding a family doctor, the City of St. Albert wants to hear from you.
The city's website will soon have a link to an online survey aimed at gauging the level of need for more doctors.
"I think we already know the answer," said Coun Cathy Heron. "It would be nice to have some proof that, yes, we need doctors in the city."
As a member of St. Albert's physician attraction task force, Heron is heading up a subcommittee charged with putting data to the anecdotes that councillors have been hearing since last year — that many people in St. Albert can't find a local doctor.
The survey, which Heron hopes is online by Monday, will use the website Survey Monkey. It will ask participants whether or not they have a doctor, whether they're looking for a new one and how they typically access the health care system. It's designed to take about two or three minutes and Heron is hoping to attract at least 1,000 participants over a four-week period.
She acknowledged the survey won't be scientifically valid because it won't be a random sample but she still thinks it could still generate some useful information.
"It's just something to stand upon when we go out and recruit," she said.
The task force aims to quantify the problem and explore ways the city can attract more doctors. Mayor Nolan Crouse assembled the task force last year and it met for the second time last week.
Members discussed the merits of undertaking a scientifically valid survey, possibly in the fall, which would require calling about 1,200 random households in order to achieve a valid sample size of 800 participants.
Such a survey would cost at least $10,000, the committee heard. The general consensus was to await results of the informal survey before committing to further study.
Crouse is hoping the survey is clear one way or the other, that there's no problem, or a significant problem.
A second subcommittee headed by Coun. Malcolm Parker is investigating whether there's a need for a new medical complex like those that exist in Spruce Grove and Sherwood Park. So far his group has done some information sharing with a Toronto-based developer but there's been no commitment from either party.
No local dollars
Crouse wants the city's participation to be limited to helping create an environment that's attractive for medical entrepreneurs rather than contributing taxpayer dollars by being a partner.
"We're not going to be the funders. We're not going to be building anything," he said.
The city could play a role by providing attractive zoning that would allow medical entrepreneurs to locate in St. Albert, he said. It could also help communicate St. Albert's need to the medical development community.
"I'd be prepared to help recruit doctors," Crouse said.
Crouse first talked of assembling the task force in May 2010 after learning that many St. Albertans were travelling to Spruce Grove to a large facility built by doctor entrepreneurs. Now, one year later, Crouse said he's feeling okay with the group's efforts thus far.
"We're not stalling," he said. "We're continuing to inch this thing forward."
