This summer our Lindisfarne production team had the opportunity to travel 6 hours north of Edmonton to the beautiful community of Manning, Alberta to create an award video for the Rural Physician Action Plan (RPAP).
Surprising as it is, it is often difficult to attract and retain physicians to the many rural communities in our wonderful province, and so RPAP created the Alberta Rural Community Physician Attraction and Retention Award to recognize rural communities that have developed innovative approaches to successfully attract and retain new physicians to their area.
This year’s recipient, the Manning Physician Attraction and Retention Coalition, showed that it is not always big promises or fancy incentives that bring doctors, but it is the people in the community who make all the difference.
For Dr. Ansie Capon and her husband Murray, they’re first visit to Manning was less than ideal. Coming from South Africa, they were unfamiliar with Alberta’s road systems and had to make the long drive from Grande Prairie to Manning while dealing with jetlag and possible food poisoning. Alberta was in the middle of a serious draught, causing the usual lush green countryside to seem dusty and brown. And to top it all off they were dealing wth jetlag, a possible case of food poisoning, and a serious need to find a restroom! However, as soon as they arrived in Manning and walked into the hospital there, they were met with a friendly, welcoming community who not only saw them as necessary professionals, but also as potential neighbours, teammates, and friends.
Because of their down-to-earth approach, Manning now boasts 2 full time doctors and a regular locum, where once they often went 12 hour periods with no doctor at all.
Our video production team came back with many fantastic stories of community spirit and a new appreciation for our neighbours to the North! If you ever find yourself in Manning, see if you can get yourself invited to a traditional South African braai, and make sure you head over to Humble Pie for their delicious cinnamon buns! They go fast!
Check out the full award video here.
View more of our work for RPAP here.