The Health Care Action Team has received another physician recruitment grant to assist the community in bringing needed physicians to the Jamestown area.

Dr. Lillian Ney, HCAT chairwoman, said last week the Lenna Foundation has awarded them with a new physician recruitment grant. This is the second grant HCAT has received from a local foundation in recent months. In February, HCAT received $35,000 in funding from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

Ney said the Lenna Foundation would like their funding to go toward recruiting primary care physicians, which is No. 1 on HCAT’s physician recruitment priority list.

In an effort to assist local medical facilities in recruiting primary care physicians to Jamestown, HCAT raises money to offer a monetary incentive to attract doctors to work in the area. HCAT assist in recruiting physicians through their incentive because many of the community’s health care practices don’t have access to the same funding ”big city” medical practices have to convince new doctors to work in their hospitals.

HCAT also discussed their physician recruitment priority list. It was determined that their list will remain similar to what it was in 2016. Along with primary care physicians, the priority list included orthopedics; neurology that is tethered to an academic center; neurosurgery that is tethered to an academic center; psychiatry; obstetrics and gynecology; dermatology; dentistry; ophthalmology; and addiction medicine. The group also discussed that specialty gaps still includes infections diseases, rheumatology, pulmonology, endocrinology and critical care.

HCAT, which is a subcommittee of the Jamestown Strategic Planning and Partnerships Commission, was formed to focus on the impact of health care on development in the community, as well as accessible, high-quality health care for residents. Partners on the team consist of City Council members; various foundations; UPMC Chautauqua WCA; Jamestown Area Medical Associates; The Resource Center; Jamestown Primary Care; Chautauqua County Health Network; The Chautauqua Center; Mental Health Association of Chautauqua County; Workforce Investment Board; SUNY Fredonia; Jamestown Community College Nursing Program; and Chautauqua County Health & Human Services and Mental Hygiene departments.