Wasaga Beach welcomes new family doctor
Wasaga Beach welcomes its new family doctor with open arms and expanded clinic services.
The town's newest family physician, Dr. Jacob Jeffrey McGavin, began by taking over an existing family medicine practice in Wasaga Beach Thursday. It will ensure that over 750 residents continue to have access to a family doctor.
McGavin expects to add 150 patients to his roster in the coming months.
"I feel great about establishing roots and providing care in a place that is very connected and proactive. The town of Wasaga Beach has been supportive of my move and it has been a pleasure to deal with staff at town hall," McGavin said.
Through a recently topped-up recruitment strategy with the province funding its South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team (SGBOHT) and Georgian Bay Family Health Team (GBFHT), Wasaga will expand services at the town’s 160 Beck Street medical centre and after-hours clinic.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
This is the result of the council's proactive recruitment efforts, including a recently topped-up $100,000 municipal family physician incentive program.
"I’m impressed with the actions the municipality is taking, working with other partners in healthcare, including the SGBOHT and GBFHT, to expand services through the Wasaga Beach Medical Clinic," said McGavin. "Having a state-of-the-art medical centre and after-hours clinic in a small town is as important to me, as a new family physician, as it is to my current and future patients and residents in Wasaga Beach.
"It means that patients have more options to seek the care they need, when they need it and achieve better health outcomes. I’m looking forward to becoming a part of the network of family physicians and healthcare partners that are committed to caring for and serving the needs of families in Wasaga Beach," he said.
Mayor Brian Smith said he is thrilled to see a new doctor in Wasaga Beach.
"This is further evidence that our plan is working. Topping up the Town’s $100,000 family physician incentive program to be more in-line with neighboring communities and re-opening the Wasaga Beach Medical Centre and After Hours Clinic was a priority for this Council, and we got it done," said Smith.
There is no waitlist to join McGavin's patient roster. Residents who do not currently have a family doctor are encouraged to seek non-urgent care through the Wasaga Beach Medical Clinic at this time. To ensure local residents who are most in need of a family physician get served first, McGavin will be working with the clinic directly to recruit new patients as soon as he is ready to begin growing his practice.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.