Overview
Representatives of WAHA, medical providers, and the business sector participate in a community oversight committee to guide the Whatcom County physician recruitment and retention effort which involves the following components:
- Assessments and Planning: Conduct ongoing community needs assessments and long term planning for physician recruitment
- Recruitment: Facilitate the implementation of a collaborative recruitment strategy aimed at ensuring access to care in Whatcom County
- Retention: Provide ongoing support and business counseling services to existing medical practices, recruited physicians and their families to assist with retention and continuity of care.
These programs are of particular interest to WAHA as a patient's ability to access health care is closely related to the number of physicians in a community. Our aim is to increase the number of medical practices accepting new Medicaid and Medicare patients and participating in community safety net programs. 
