The City of Belleville Signs Kimberly Mitchell to Doctor Recruitment Program

The City of Belleville is pleased to announce the signing of Queen’s University medical student Kimberly Mitchell into the Doctor Recruitment Program. Kimberly will be the 51st physician to be recruited through the program and she will begin to receive financial support as she completes medical school and starts her residency.

“We had the pleasure of meeting Kimberly more than a year ago,” said Mayor Neil Ellis. “Over the past year, we have been able to get to know her and are so pleased she has become acquainted with Belleville and decided to join our program. Although she worked several years as a mechanical engineer, she has decided to change course and devote herself to helping people through family medicine and the City of Belleville couldn’t be happier she will be joining us in 2029.”   

“One of the things we noticed about Belleville is the way citizens, local businesses, organizations and the City work together to make the area a great place to live,” said Kimberly Mitchell. “My family and I are really looking forward to becoming part of the community.”

Although healthcare and physician recruitment are not a municipal responsibility, the City of Belleville has recognized the shortcomings of the Provincial Health Care system and has implemented one of the most successful recruitment programs in the province, recruiting 51 physicians and 6 nurse practitioners. The program is funded by the dividends the City receives as a shareholder of Elexicon Energy and to date, over $7 million has been committed to attracting primary healthcare providers.

For residents in need of a family physician or a nurse practitioner, it is important to register with Health Care Connect (HCC).  HCC is a resource used by physicians and government agencies to place patients with physicians and can be relied upon by doctors and nurse practitioners when developing or expanding their roster of patients. Registering with HCC is the key to finding primary health care in Ontario. You can register with HCC by calling 1-800-445-1822 (TTY 1-800-387-5559) or by visiting the HCC website.