If you’re interested in rural health and keeping facilities close to home, a conference will be held in Peace River in October called Building the Future of Rural Healthcare.
The conference is being hosted by Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RHPAP) and will be held from Oct. 6 to 8 at the Chateau Nova. RHPAPA Chief Executive Officer Tracy Sopkow explains that RHPAP helps Alberta build and sustain the rural healthcare workforce.
“Our role extends across the entire workforce journey, from introducing rural high school students to health careers and giving post-secondary learners meaningful rural experiences, to supporting the education, attraction, integration and retention of practising health professionals,” explains Sopkow.
“Rural workforce challenges cannot be solved through recruitment alone. Health professionals are more likely to come to rural Alberta and remain there when they have positive rural training experiences, opportunities to maintain and expand their skills, and strong connections to their communities.”
Sopkow adds RHPAP brings those pieces together by working directly with healthcare professionals, educational institutions, health-system partners, municipalities and local volunteers.
The RHPAPA Conference is held every two years and Sopkow says it’s a great opportunity for healthcare professionals and people interested in rural healthcare to come together to network and brainstorm.
“Its purpose is to bring together people who may approach rural healthcare from different perspectives but share the same goal, keeping healthcare close to home,” Sopkow explains.
“The conference creates space for healthcare professionals, community volunteers, municipal and provincial leaders, learners, educators and health-system partners to compare experiences, learn what’s working in other communities and build relationships that can continue long after the event.”
She adds that the conference is also an opportunity to turn discussion into practical action by giving participants ideas and tools they can take back to their communities.
The RHPAP Conference is in a different rural Alberta community every second year. Sopkow says the location is an important part of the conference experience.
“Taking the event to different communities enables attendees to see rural Alberta firsthand, understand the distinct opportunities and challenges of the host region, and learn directly from local healthcare professionals, municipal leaders, and volunteers,” she says.
“It also allows the host community to showcase what makes it a good place to live, work and practice.”
Peace River was chosen for this year’s conference as an opportunity for attendees to experience northern Alberta and to better understand how geography, distance, and local circumstances shape healthcare.
“At the same time, the region demonstrates the resilience, innovation and community leadership that are essential to successful rural healthcare,” says Sopkow.
“Peace River is not simply the backdrop for the conference; it is part of the learning.”
This year’s theme is Rooted in Community. Sopkow says this reflects a fundamental truth about rural healthcare: lasting solutions grow from the community itself.
“They are built through local knowledge, trusted relationships, shared responsibility and collaboration among healthcare professionals, municipalities, organizations and residents,” she explains. “Recruiting a healthcare professional is only one part of the equation. Long-term retention is also influenced by whether professionals and their families feel welcomed, connected and supported. The theme recognizes that communities are active partners in healthcare workforce sustainability, not simply recipients of healthcare services.”
Sopkow says anyone who cares about the future of rural healthcare are urged to attend the conference. She explains that people do not need to work in healthcare to attend and adds that rural healthcare is a community issue. She says many of the people making a difference in rural healthcare are municipal leaders, local employers, educators, volunteers, and other community members.
“The conference also helps people realize their community is not alone,” Sopkow says.
“Rural leaders and healthcare professionals often carry considerable responsibility and connecting with peers who understand that experience can be both professionally valuable and personally energizing. We want attendees to leave with useful tools, renewed confidence and relationships they can call upon after the conference.”
Sopkow notes that the conference will bring together people affected by similar challenges in the same room, allowing information to be shared, common priorities to be identified, and partnerships to be strengthened.
“An attraction, integration or retention practice developed in one community may be adaptable in another,” Sopkow provides an example.
“A discussion among a healthcare provider, municipal leader, educator and government representative can uncover solutions that would be difficult for any single organization to develop alone.”
The conference costs $300 plus taxes and registration fees.
The cost includes the three days of programming and conference meals.
She explains the event is a three-day affair because delegates travel from across the province and RHPAP wants their trip to provide real value.
“Three days allow them to learn, develop meaningful relationships and reflect on how the information applies to their own community or organization,” she adds.
“The October 6–8 schedule also includes two evening networking events that allow attendees to explore Peace River, so it does not mean three uninterrupted days in a meeting room.”
Highlights of the event include Dr. Aaron Johnston and Dr. Richart Martin discussing the importance of rural exposure in developing the future healthcare workforce.
Strategist Hal Danchilla will examine advocacy through a rural-health lens.
“Practical sessions focused on healthcare attraction, integration and retention (are included),” says Sopkow. “(There will be) perspectives from healthcare professionals, learners, community leaders and rural champions, opportunities to connect with decision-makers and partners from across Alberta, and a special community experience showcasing Peace River and the surrounding region.”
Sopkow says one of the most valuable features will be the mix of voices in the room.
“The conference is deliberately designed to connect professional expertise with lived rural experience,” concludes Sopkow.
RHPAP is working with the Towns of Peace River and Grimshaw, the Village of Nampa, Northern Lights and Northern Sunrise Counties, Municipal District of Peace, Smoky River Regional Health Care Professionals and the Grimshaw Regional Healthcare Attraction and Retention Committees, to host the event.
Registration is open, and tickets are limited.
To purchase tickets and to see a complete list of speakers, go to rhpap.shorthandstories.com/2026-conference/.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter