Venture Kamloops has had a Red Carpet program to sell the city’s features to interested doctors for years.

But this fall, the business-oriented agency bumped it up to a new level, working with Interior Health to put together a comprehensive package that gives health professionals considering a career in Kamloops an idea of what the city has to offer.

Anita Grover, interim executive director, said Thursday the program is geared toward attracting physicians of all types — specialists, generalists and family practice.

“Our program has been around for some time, but we’re taking a more active role,” she said.

The Red Carpet program gives doctors packages and gift certificates for everything from restaurants to services so they get a feel for the city’s offerings.

Initially, the packages went to doctors coming to town for interviews, but now it’s being extended to residents training at Royal Inland Hospital or physicians who have come here on their own initiative, said Grover.

“We want them to immerse themselves in the community and transition well to the community,” she said, adding Venture Kamloops hopes to expand the program to go to locum doctors, too.

“We have more lifestyle-focused information on our web page that we hear is important for doctors. We’ll be putting out a video geared for physicians soon, too.”

While Interior Health has a recruitment website for doctors, it’s more regional in focus than what Venture Kamloops has put together, she said.