The City will be home to a community based clinic.
The Dryden Regional Health Centre has entered into an agreement with the City to purchase the Dingwall and King Street Medical Clinic’s.
The price tag is $1.2 million which will be borrowed from the Cities Hydro sale reserves.
Health Centre CAO Andrew Skeene says the deal is a win-win situation for everyone involved, and should lead to more medical professionals for the City.
The Hospital plans to pay back the funds over a 10 year period by rent and the eventual creation of a paid parking system at the Hospital and the Dingwall Clinic.
Development of the parking lot is also planned.
Doctors working at the Dingwall Clinic will pay the Health Centre a nominal rate for rent, while the Hospital will assume all building related costs.
As for the King Street Clinic, officials are currently negotiating leases with the tenants and plan to turn over the property to the City in the coming weeks.
City officials stress that while the agreement may not be the final answer in attracting more physicians, it’s a step in the right direction.
Mayor Anne Krassilowsky says while purchasing the Clinic’s has been highly debated at the Council table in the past, she stresses that the deal was the right thing to do in order to remain competitive with other Municipalities.
Krassilowsky thing the agreement coupled with the new Family Health Network and the incentive package for new physicians will go a long way in making Dryden a more attractive community.
She adds the City will come good on its $1 million commitment to match funds raised but the Dryden Area Health Services Foundation.
