The Mel Lloyd Family Practice Team (FHT) and the physician search committees for Central Dufferin have parted ways, and Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson has resigned from the FHT Board in a surprise move that came, reportedly, in the middle of a Board meeting.

But Centre Dufferin Medical Recruitment Committee (CDMRC) and the Town of Shelburne will continue their efforts to find family doctors “for the betterment of the community,” says Shawnette Crouse, the Town’s committee co-ordinator and recorder for CDPRC.

Although the Mel Lloyd team recently severed connections with both the CDMRC and the Town, and is reported to have engaged its own “headhunter” for a search, Ms. Crouse said her committees will continue to direct doctors toward the FHT in addition to finding locations for private practices.

She said the CDMRC is funded to the extent of $15,000 by Dufferin County, and both committees have always worked “for the betterment of the community,” although the FHT seems not to view it that way.

The divorce of the FHT from the recruitment committees came to a head back in January, but the happening had been kept largely under wraps as the FHT prefers not to share minutes of its meetings with the public.

But there is a strong indication of background in the CDMRC minutes of Jan. 8, which said town CA0 John Telfer “presented a written report to the CDMRC stating that recruitment is a high priority of the Town of Shelburne and very little cooperation and a lack of respect is coming from the MLFHT,” and included a motion that the CDMRC “request a delegation with the Board of the MLFHT as soon as possible, and further that John Telfer, CAO of the Town of Shelburne, and Sue Snider, Chair of the CDMRC & DCCS, [form] said delegation on behalf of the CDMRC. The delegation is to discuss outstanding issues between staff at the MLFHT and the CDMRC and the medial recruitment for the Town of Shelburne and supporting communities and their underserviced designations and their residents.”

Mayor Crewson, the original catalyst for central and north Dufferin’s designation as an underserviced area more than 15 years ago, resigned from the FHT Board shortly after that meeting was held – partly on the basis that the FHT management, allegedly without reference to the Board, had engaged a headhunter although it lacked a reported $40,000 funding for each physician the headhunter might attract.

Minutes of the Board meeting were not made available Wednesday, and the FHT’s COO, Thomas Manning, had not returned calls by press time, so the numbers could not be confirmed from that source.

Also on Wednesday, Mayor Crewson had been at the Good Roads convention and had immediately gone to a Dufferin Mutual annual meeting upon his return to Shelburne. But another source confirmed that he had felt there was no place for him on the FHT Board as he had served there as mayor of the Town.