WELCOME TO THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES!

 

We Recruit Family Physicians

Doctor Recommended, Family Approved.

Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative (KLHCI) has been successfully recruiting family doctors to the City of Kawartha Lakes (CKL) since 2004 and is the lead organization for family doctor recruitment and retention in the City of Kawartha Lakes. KLHCI is proud to say we have recruited 43 family physicians since 2004.

KLHCI is a non-profit, charitable organization whose Mission is to create a healthier community by recruiting, supporting and retaining family doctors.

KLHCI’s Vision is that all City of Kawartha Lakes citizens have access to a local family doctor.  KLHCI is funded by the City of Kawartha Lakes and Ross Memorial Hospital.

Read our latest Newsletter HERE!

 

Recruitment Programs

Recruitment programs include:

  • Family Medicine Resident Weekends

  • Attendance at medical school job fairs

  • Advertising in medical journals and on recruitment websites

  • Hosting site visits

  • Presenting to Family Medicine Interest Groups at medical schools on the benefits of rural electives during training

  • Providing an e-Newsletter to update on KLHCI activities (Contact us to be added to the distribution list)

  • KLHCI includes Medical Education Coordination as part of their recruitment programs and works closely with our CKL medical community, the Ross Memorial Hospital, the Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP) and medical schools to facilitate this program.

  • Coordinating efforts with the Ross Memorial Hospital with respect to recruitment of family doctors

  • KLHCI is a proud member of the Eastern Ontartio Physician Recruitment Alliance. This dynamic organization assists in international and interprovincial family physician recruitment, and we look forward to expanding our opportunities with them. (https://opra.ca/eopra/ )

  • Communicating with all levels of government concerning family doctor recruitment including being an active member of the Canadian Society of Physician Recruitment (CASPR)

 

Retention Programs

Retention programs include:

  • Hosting Family Doctor Appreciation annually

  • Hosting and coordinating continuing medical education events for the local medical community

  • Hosting social events for the local medical community

  • Providing an e-Newsletter to update on KLHCI activities (Contact us to be added to the distribution list)

  • Coordinating efforts with the Ross Memorial Hospital with respect to retention of family doctors

  • Communicating with all levels of government concerning family doctor retention, including being an active member of the Canadian Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (CASPR)

  • CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES PHYSICIAN INTERVIEWS - FINAL REPORT – JANUARY 30, 2023 (see the full report in the News + Events section)

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    PURPOSE:

    Retention of our local family physicians has always been a goal for the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative’s (KLHCI) Retention Committee. This goal faced increased pressures with the COVID pandemic. With the approval of the KLHCI Board, our local family physicians were virtually interviewed in September 2022 regarding views of their own practice pressures.

    The attached report is the culmination of those interviews to be presented to major stakeholders such as the Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, President of the Ontario Medical Association, MP – Jamie Schmale, MPP – Laurie Scott, Mayor – City of Kawartha Lakes, CEO – Ross Memorial Hospital.

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    While the family physicians interviewed were largely satisfied with their practices, each physician expressed frustration with the amount of unbillable time spent on administrative tasks such as:

    ·         form completion, reviewing lab work and specialist referrals (approximately 20 hours per week);

    ·         feeling devalued by patients and government;

    ·         practice management and human resources issues along with increasing overhead;

    ·         struggling to find care for their patients.

    CONCLUSIONS:

    Primary Care providers, family physicians in particular, are key to the whole healthcare system. As one physician stated “A family physician does whatever it takes to help their patients”. If they decide to either retire early or leave the profession altogether, health care for the citizens of the City of Kawartha Lake (CKL) will be further impacted. Currently, approximately 6,000 citizens have NO family physician and between 25,000 – 30,000 have family physicians outside CKL.

    The Retention Committee recommends the following:

    ·         personally present and review the attached report with our local MP and MPP and provide copies to those listed above, at a minimum;

    ·         investigate consultants who are experts in HR and practice management who can present to our family physicians.

 

Volunteer & Donate

Volunteering is an important contributor to the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. It gives a sense of being part of a solution, as well as the opportunity to:

  • support a cause you truly believe in

  • improve your own health through active participation and intellectual stimulation

  • create new friendships

  • apply current skills and develop new ones

  • develop professional contacts and attain valuable employment experience

  • broaden one's perspective

  • feel the personal satisfaction of helping others

  • provide education in organization and planning

Since KLHCI believes that "it takes a whole community to recruit a doctor", there is a significant need for community volunteers to support the efforts of KLHCI. If you have time available to assist with any of the following, please contact us for more information:

  • Board of Directors

  • Committees (retention, marketing, etc.)

  • Special events – recruitment and retention activities

KLHCI also appreciates your financial support. All donations will be provided with a  charitable  receipt.

 
 

Staff

Recruitment & Retention Coordinator - Cindy Snider

Cindy has been the Recruitment & Retention Coordinator for Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative since 2008.  This position is responsible for the recruitment and retention of family doctors in the City of Kawartha Lakes and reports to the volunteer Board of Directors.   In addition to her recruitment role, Cindy is the Medical Education Coordinator for the City of Kawartha Lakes.  Assisting young people to reach their goals is a professional and personal passion which guides her work with the medical students and residents.  She was very proud to receive the ROMP Community Education Coordinator of the Year award in 2015. She was also honoured to receive the Recruiter Recognition Award in 2017 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 from the Canadian Society of Physician Recruitment.  A background in marketing and administration, including a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, has been extremely helpful in her position.  Cindy and her family have lived in Bobcaygeon for over 30 years.

 
 

Board of Directors

 
 

President - Andrew Veale

Andrew was born and raised in the City of Kawartha Lakes and has always been a strong supporter of Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative as a previous board member and President.  He is currently a City of Kawartha Lakes Councillor and sits on the board as the City's representative. 

 
 

Past-President - Barbara van der Veen

Barabara has an extensive background in physician recruitment. Following her retirement as Manager-Medical Affairs to the Office of the Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Barb and her husband retired to the Woodville area and are the proud owners of a horse farm. Her medical and legal background/expertise are great assets to the KLHCI Board of Directors. Barb joined the Board in June 2016 and is assisting with the Rentention and Rural Residency Program committees.

 

Vice President - Stacey Gudmundsson

Stacey is owner and social worker of MindGarden Wellness in Lindsay. She has lived in the Kawarthas for the last 20 years, previously living in Manitoba. Stacey is passionate about building community capacity, and believes that access to a family doctor is a critical piece of creating healthy communities. Stacey is an active volunteer with the Kawartha Haliburton 4-H association, and is currently teaching part-time at Fleming College. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family and dog, Gizmo.

Secretary - Lucy Fleming

Lucy was born and raised in the City of Kawartha Lakes. As a recent graduate from McMaster University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology and a Minor in Mental Health and Addictions, she has returned to Lindsay to explore potential career-related interests while continuing to work at Nisbett’s Clothiers. Lucy looks forward to working with the dedicated members of KLHCI in their efforts to support the health and well-being of the community.

 

Treasurer - Linda Curtin

Linda is a senior executive with over 20 years of corporate leadership experience.  She has held senior roles with private entrepreneurial owner managed organizations and large national corporate entities as the Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer.   Linda has a solid audit background, holding positions in both internal and external audit roles.  She is currently a Principal with The CFO Centre, offering professional services on a part time basis to small to mid size enterprises.   Committed to quality, integrity and efficiency, her strengths include building and leading teams to create value within the finance group.  Driving change thru process improvements and strategic leadership, Linda proactively identifies and implements methods to improve the overall success of overall organizational success.   Linda is a CPA, CA and has a Bachelor of Accounting from Brock University.  Linda and her husband have three active boys and proudly own a cash crop farming operation west of Lindsay.  Linda joined the board in December 2020.       

 
 

Director - Kelly Isfan

Kelly joined RMH as President and CEO in April 2020.  She has been a healthcare leader for more than 30 years, working in acute, community and long-term care sectors in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ontario.  Kelly previously served as President and CEO of the Norfolk General and West Haldimand General Hospitals.  She has served on the Ontario Hospital Association Board of Directors and has contributed to several OHA and Ministry of Health committees.  Her strengths include a strong focus on community outreach, partnership development and quality care and she is an advocate for bringing exceptional healthcare to rural communities.  Kelly sits on the board as the RMH representative.

Director - Michelle Bell

Michelle graduated from Niagara College and began her career as a Paramedic in Kawartha Lakes in 2002. She returned to school in 2007 to become an Advanced Care Paramedic. Throughout her career she has had many roles including Paramedic Team Leader, Education Facilitator and is the Chair of the Peer Support Team. Michelle recently received an exemplary medal award from the Governor General for over 20 years of service. Michelle looks forward to advocating and working collaboratively with the KLHCI Board to bring family doctors to the area.

Director - Dan Joyce

Dan’s professional areas are new business development specializing in trade show and conference event management, and continuing medical education specializing in family physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and veterinarians CME/CE/CVME needs. Dan has served on many boards over the years both proessionally and community based. Currently, Dan keeps busy by producing with his business partner and daughter a B2B annual conference, and as a City Councillor representing Ward 4 in Kawartha Lakes.

Director - Jennifer Fatt

Jennifer Fatt completed her BSc in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Waterloo and is now working towards her MSc with a focus on satellite radar altimetry remote sensing in the Canadian subarctic. She spends her free time volunteering with KLHCI - sitting on the Medical Learners and Recruitment Committees, at UHN in Surgical Oncology, and with Fashion Revolution.

 

Director - Jessica Latone

Jess grew up in Peterborough, Ontario and also spent some time living in Toronto while attending York University for her Bachelor’s Degree with Honours. She returned to Peterborough to receive her Education Degree at Trent University and then taught French Immersion at the Primary level. After a few years of teaching, Jess decided to turn her passion for photography into a profession and started her photography business, specializing in weddings, portraits and real estate. Photography has been her full-time career for several years and in 2021 she became a registered Realtor.

Director - Dr. Albert Lauwers

Dr. Bert Lauwers is ‘actively retired’ and limits his work activity to providing patient care in the City of Kawartha Lakes After Hours Clinic, and sitting on the Boards of the Faith Tabernacle Church (Coboconk), the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team, and the KLHCI. Dr. Lauwers was named the Executive Vice President Medical and Clinical of the Scarborough Health Network on April 1, 2019. He left his position as President and CEO of the Ross Memorial Hospital to undertake this new position in Scarborough. The Scarborough Health Network (SHN) appointed Dr. Lauwers as an honorary member of the Medical Staff Association based on his contributions to the hospital during the pandemic. A brief summary of Dr. Lauwers contributions between 2019-2022 in Scarborough include:

  • Acting Chief of Staff 2020-2022 for SHN

  • All Medical and Clinical Program at SHN reported to Dr. Lauwers, a cumulative budget of about $450M

  • Leading Emergency Preparedness for the Scarborough Health Network during the pandemic

  • Chairing the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network Physician Leadership Planning Table

  • Co-Chairing the Surgical Recovery and Optimization of Care Planning Table for the GTA

  • Membership on the GTA Primary Care Council

  • Member, ex-officio of the inaugural Executive Committee of the Scarborough Family Physicians Network

  • Member of the Council of the Scarborough Ontario Health Team

  • Membership on the Executive Council of the GTA Incident Management System (GTA IMS) for management of patient volumes during the pandemic

  • Led Clinical Services Planning for the inaugural plan for the amalgamated Scarborough Hospital and Centenary Hospitals

  • Created a corporate project for patient flow for SHN

  • Led the creation of SHN’s Stroke Unit; oversight for the creation of a division of Clinical Pharmacy, Allergy and Immunology at SHN and for creating an inflammatory bowel clinic at SHN with an industry sponsor.

He was named the President and CEO of the Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay taking office January 2015. Dr. Lauwers joined the Ross Memorial Hospital as Vice President, Medical in June of 2013. In January 2014, he added the Chief of Staff role to his VP Medical portfolio. He led the Ross Memorial in developing its new strategic plan 2015- 2021 and in preparing for its Accreditation survey. The hospital was awarded the highest possible Accreditation Standing, Accredited with Exemplary Standing, achieving a score of 99.6%. He is the former Deputy Chief Coroner-Inquests for the Office of the Chief Coroner in the Province of Ontario and former Deputy Chief Coroner Investigations and Chair of the Deaths Under Five and the Paediatric Death Review Committee.

Dr. Lauwers is an honours graduate of the University of Toronto Medical School and has a Fellowship from the College of Family Physicians. He is a former president of the Ontario Coroners Association.

In 2011, he completed a Masters Certificate in Public Management at the Schulich School of Business. In 2012, he was designated a Canadian Certified Physician Executive by the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Society of Physician Executives.

In 2013, he was awarded the H.B. Cotnam Award by the Ontario Coroners Association recognizing his contributions in the development of best practice guidelines for death investigation, as well as for developing the Fundamentals of Inquest Course through Osgoode Law School. Dr. Lauwers has authored articles in peer-reviewed academic journals.

In June of 2014, he completed a Masters Degree Program in Public Policy, Administration and Law at York University. Dr. Lauwers was awarded the Ian Greene Award and achieved the highest academic standing in the program. In 2018, he completed a Masters Certificate in Leading Sustainable Strategic Change from the Schulich School of Business.

Dr. Lauwers was formerly appointed as the Chair of the Provincial Physicians’ Leadership Council of the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA). He was co-chair of the Physician-Hospital Issues Committee, a joint committee of the OHA and OMA. He was also Chair of the Central East Executive Committee of the Local Health Integration Network (CELHIN) a group of all hospital CEOs including the LHIN CEO.

 

Director - Wesley Letsholo

Wesley Letsholo is a Product & Service Procurement expert. Known for Solution Based Business Approached.  He is the owner of LGS Group.  Wesley connects Canadian Manufacturers with Distributors and Resellers in the Caribbean and South Africa.  He helps businesses to increase their Product & Service Profile by facilitating the sales process and building meaningful relationships with customers. Wesley has 20 years in the Sales & Service Industry and a Diploma in Business Management.  Wesley is passionate about his community. He is a member of Kawartha Lakes Family Doctor Recruitment Board and Kawartha Lakes Community Care Foundation Board. Wesley is a supporter of Soldiers of Change Charity and YMCA Strong Kids Charity.

Director - Dr. Jacquelyn Nicholls

Dr. Jacquelyn Nicholls is owner and chiropractor of Adelaide Clinic in Lindsay.  Dr. Nicholls moved to Calgary from Ontarion in 2014 to work on the Medical Team with the Alberta Ballet Company and with the School of Alberta Ballet.  She is excited to bring her multidisiplinary experience back to where she grew up and is so happy to be back at home with her husband John, daughter Anna, and their two dogs Gus and Wilhelmina.  She is passionate about helping her community thrive and is looking forward to assisting family doctors to find a great work-life balance, as she has, in the Kawartha Lakes.

Director - Dr. Dan Nighswander

Dan Nighswander is a seasonal cottager turned full-time resident of Kawartha Lakes. He completed his undergraduate degree in Genetics at Western University and his Chiropractic degree at CMCC in Toronto. After graduating, he moved to Fenelon Falls and established a chiropractic clinic. Besides his practice, he serves as Treasurer for the Fenelon Falls Chamber of Commerce and represents CMCC as a spokesperson for prospective students. He eagerly brings his professional and community service experience to the KLHCI Board to promote the growth of medical services in the area.

Director - Kelly Stevenson

Kelly is a healthcare fundraising and communications consultant. She previously worked in Major and Transformational Giving at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation for almost 13 years. Kelly’s passions include developing high-performing teams, improving department processes and relationship building. Kelly loves living in the Kawartha Lakes with her family - having spent the last two decades in Toronto. She enjoys biking on the Victoria Rail Trail, walking her kids to school and swimming at local beaches in the summer. Kelly joined the Board in 2024. She supports the Marketing and Retention Committees.

Associate Members

Chair, Medical Learner Committee - Robyn McNabb

Robyn was born and raised in the City of Kawartha Lakes. After receiving post-secondary education at McMaster and Queen's Universities, she and her husband (a local general surgeon) returned to the area to raise their family. Having worked as a registered nurse in the ER at Ross Memorial Hospital, Robyn now spends her time at home raising two boys and volunteering for many community organizations including KLHCI and Kawartha Lakes Hospice.  Robyn is a Past-President of KLHCI and currently Chair of the Medical Learner Committee.

 

Land Acknowledgement

Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative respectfully acknowledges that we are situated on Mississauga lands and the traditional territory covered by the Williams Treaties.

We are grateful for the opportunity to work here and we thank all the generations of people who have taken care of this land - for thousands of years. We recognize and deeply appreciate their historic connection to this place. We also recognize the contributions of Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples, both in shaping and strengthening this community and country as a whole. This recognition is connected to our collective commitment to make the promise and the challenge of Truth and Reconciliation real in our community.

 
 
 

Vision Statement

All City of Kawartha Lakes citizens have access to a local family doctor.

 
 
 

Mission Statement

Create a healthier community by recruiting, supporting & retaining family doctors.