One Small City Is Showing Family Doctors The Love (and Getting It In Return)
Doctors Jacques and Mariska Neuhoff got a warm welcome when they moved to BC Interior five years ago from South Africa. "We came into a home with a stocked fridge and a pantry from the community that put it there for us," said Jacques. Three years ago, city and health officials formalized that welcome as part of their recruitment and retention strategy. The city hired two healthcare landing co-ordinators to attract long term and locum doctors. Melissa LaPointe, who moved to Williams Lake in 2005 from Mill River, PEI, says Williams Lake has built something "pretty magical." The program now generates its own revenue from services like accommodation rentals, storage, cleaning, and airport pick ups. Since February of 2024, Interior Health and the Central Interior Division of Family Practice have recruited six physicians and two specialists to Williams Lake, along with two doctors to 100 Mile House.
