A community-led initiative in Cape Breton is taking an extra step to recruit healthcare professionals to Port Hawkesbury and Richmond County, specifically from the United States.

Gina MacDonald is program director for Cape Breton South Recruiting for Health, an organization formed to combat the shortage of nurses in the area.

She tells our newsroom, a new initiative called, Cape Breton South Healthcare Infusion, takes it a step further.

It is designed to attract American doctors and nurses to their region by connecting them with residents through a chat group on Discord.

“Talking with people in the community in an effort to show them that we are welcoming and that they will be happy here and enjoy really peaceful and safe working and home life,” says MacDonald.

The infusion started from a national movement on social media, that had such a positive response, they happened provincially and now for the first time, on a regional level.

MacDonald says it’s important for someone who is willing to move to the area to know what to expect and the infusion helps with that.

“Moving to Halifax is a lot different than moving to somewhere in Richmond County,” explains MacDonald. “We want people to understand what it’s like to live here.”

She says once they make the move, the hope is they will stay because they already knew what they were getting into.

“We answer all different types of questions. Commute times to work. Is it safe to live there? What you’re housing market like? Are there opportunities for kids to play,” adds MacDonald.

The goal, MacDonald says, is to make people feel welcome.

“We want them to be part of the community. We want them to come to our events. We want their children to have lots of friends and that is how we are going to hang on to them.”

The Cape Breton Discord server is now up and running.