Catholic Health System taps families bring doctors back to WNY

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Local health providers struggle to entice doctors to come practice in Western New York. The Catholic Health System is pulling heart strings to bring some expatriate doctors back home.

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It is no surprise that with the region's dwindling economy it is pretty hard to keep doctors in Western New York. Half leave right out of college. Still others eventually flee to higher paying regions or warmer climates. In fact there is a shortage of many specialists. The area could use a couple hundred more family doctors. Doctor David Pawlowski is a family doctor. Pawlowski said he and others are struggling to meet the need.

Pawlowski likes it here. He has a family and plans to stay put. Hmmm, a family connection...That got physician recruiter Victor Ramirez thinking. So, the Catholic Health System recruiter placed an ad on the front page of the newspaper over the holidays. It asked families who have relatives practicing medicine somewhere else to help bring them back home.

Ramirez said it worked. He got nearly two dozen calls from family members wanting to know how. And at least two doctors currently practicing medicine outside the area are seriously considering coming back to Buffalo - thanks to a little nudge from their loved one.

Ramirez said the recruiting campaign was so effective he will probably run the ads again sometime in the future. And he said around the holidays - when all hearts long for home - seems to work pretty well.