The Preeceville and District Health Action Committee has been formed within the community for the permanent and ongoing needs for doctor recruitment and retention.
"We have recognized this is an issue we must all work together at to achieve," said Stacey Strykowski. "We have been told by our health region and government that doctor recruitment and retention is difficult in our area.
“This task force will work together with our region to ensure we are able to find the doctors we need and provide the incentives to get them here and keep them here,” Strykowski said. “We are following in the footsteps of other communities near us that had to do this very thing: Kelvington, Wadena and Kamsack.
“Please do not confuse this committee with the group of council delegates,” she said. “The delegates, or ‘focus group,’ are acting as a liaison between our action committee and the health region and government as well as a liaison between our action committee and the RMs and town councils themselves.
“Although we all have one goal in mind, please know this action group can concentrate its entire efforts on this task only, rather than all the issues brought forth to our local government officials," she said.
Members of the Preeceville and District Health Action Committee include: Stacey Strykowski, chair; Tammy Pantiuk, vice-chair; Welma Bartel, secretary-treasurer; Charolette Diakow; Hein Bertrum; Robert Lagrove; Tracy Lagrove; Brittany Halkyard; Kim Murray; Greg Olson; Agnes Murrin and Shelby Cook.
"This is not a closed committee and we always welcome new members and new ideas,” Strykowski said. “Our kick-off fundraiser will be a barbecue at Centennial Park in Preeceville on June 24. This barbeque was not cancelled. The cancelled one was commemorating the mortgage-burning ceremony at the hospital and does not have any affiliation with our committee. This barbecue will go towards our recruitment efforts."
