YARMOUTH, N.S. — Hammers are flying at the Vancouver Street house donated by Coastal Financial Credit Union for doctor recruitment efforts in Yarmouth.
While the large house has “good bones,” there is much that needs to be updated and reconfigured. The ultimate goal is to create three units for resident doctors and to have another unit with three bedrooms and a common living area for medical students on rotation at Yarmouth’s teaching hospital.
One of the biggest barriers to recruiting doctors to the region has been housing.
Housing is seen as a barrier because many potential doctors for the area find themselves in a position where they still have to pay rent or mortgages for homes in former locations until those properties are sold or re-rented.
Credit Union Place, providing a free place to live while working in Yarmouth, will be a big draw.
Angie Greene, president of the Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce, said this is equivalent to a half-million-dollar donation.
“This is going to make a huge difference,” she says.
Many businesses have contributed in various ways to the renovation project and maintenance of the building, including in-kind donations.
More contributions required
Many more donations are required for the doctor recruitment and retention initiative, including donations (including in-kind) related to renovation work at Credit Union Place.
Carla Allan
Shelburne County Coast Guard
https://www.thecoastguard.ca/news/local/renos-underway-on-house-aimed-at-attracting-doctors-to-yarmouth-392282/