Clearwater will lose four doctors by September, though two new physicians are expected to arrive this summer, and recruitment efforts are underway to bring more medical professionals to town.
Letters announcing the four departures from Wells Gray Medical Clinic were posted to the Physicians of Clearwater Facebook page.
The departing doctors are Kara Perdue (leaving on June 1), Oluwasola Ayosanmi (leaving on September 10), Sandra Okezue (leaving August 31) and Chibuikem Ofoegbu (leaving September 30).
Shelley Sim, chapter coordinator of Divisions of Family Practice for Clearwater, said the two new doctors slated to arrive in town will come in July and late August. She said they are also interviewing for two other physicians who could come in September 2027. She noted international recruitment could take up to a year.
“Interior Health recruitment has been exceptionally supportive and innovative,” Sim said.
Information about each departure can be found in the respective letters, with some of the doctors noting their reasons for leaving, and reassuring patients about continued care at the clinic and the safety of their medical records.
Ayosanmi said it has been a privilege to serve Clearwater since September 2023.
“Caring for you and your families has been both a professional honour and a deeply meaningful experience,” he said.
Okezue said it was an honour and joy to serve the community, and said she was deeply grateful for the trust placed in her.
“Building these relationships has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career, and I will miss caring for you,” she said.
Sim spoke about the departures, saying Ofoegbu and Okezue both arrived on three-year contracts and stayed for five years, which she said is a success. Ayosanmi stayed for his three-year contract, Sim said, and according to his letter, he will be establishing a full family practice in Kamloops at Hope Medical Clinic. Sim said Perdue would be leaving to help start a new maternity care program in Kamloops, which she said will serve all rural areas.
She pointed to opportunities to attract new doctors, and said it is important how the community welcomes new physicians and nurses and how well they are integrated into the community. She said inviting people for dinner, hikes, Farmer’s Market visits, sports and service clubs can all play a role, and said community inclusion is the “secret sauce.”
“Clearwater might see this as a crisis, but it is a great opportunity to welcome a new team of colleagues,” Sim said.
She noted the town would be welcoming new locums (substitute doctors), who she said are a wonderful means of promoting the community via word of mouth.
“For retention, staying two years longer than a contract is really great and now that we have vacancies, we can work to appeal to new physicians who might be keen on a small and caring community. We need to keep a positive tone on social media and assure people that they will be welcome,” Sim said.
She said if people would like to get involved, whether as a local guide, ambassador or dinner host, they can contact her at 250-674-1128 or ssim@rrdfp.ca.
Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell posted to his Facebook page about the situation, saying most of the doctors who announced their departures will continue seeing patients for several more months. He also said the clinic and Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital will continue to fill vacant shifts with locum doctors, and said his understanding is they have most shifts scheduled well into the summer.
Blackwell said many people were working on active recruitment of new doctors, nurses and other medical professionals for Clearwater, including himself. One effort he noted was a letter he sent to Minister of Health Josie Osborne requesting ministry support through nurse practitioners.
“Stay positive,” he said. “And please take the time to thank your local healthcare team — from the folks at the pharmacy, to the front desk staff at the clinic, to everyone at the hospital… and don’t forget the homecare workers and ambulance teams. Attitude definitely matters in communities that have been successful at recruitment and retention,” he said.
“I especially want to thank our current doctor team. We are not always the easiest patients or the easiest community to deal with, but we absolutely appreciate what you have done for us the last few years, and I think most of us understand that quality of life and family are as important to you as they are to each of us,” the mayor said.
“Thank you for your service.”