Health facilities in the Sunrise Health Region (SHR) do not rate well in terms of condition, a situation which mimics conditions across the province.
Facility Assessments were completed on all buildings in Sunrise Health Region by Vanderwiel Facility Assessors (VFA) in Spring of 2013, a report circulated to the SHR Board at its regular meeting last week.
"The assessments measure the condition of the facility at any given point in time using a Facility Condition Index (FCI) or facility condition score," stated the report.
"It also identifies maintenance requirements, which are ranked by priority."
Sunrise Health Region's average facility condition score of 0.30 which is ranked poor condition as compared to the provincial average of 0.33, explained SHR CEO Suann Laurent.
"We have a lot of infrastructure risk in our region," she said, adding they knew that, but the assessment lends confirmation.
The maintenance identified to address conditions identified by the assessment with the SHR and province has a huge price tag attached.
The total cost requirements for the region is $142,224,974, with the provincial total cost requirements at $2.2 billion.
The overriding issue with most facilities, both within the SHR and across the province, is age.
"The average age of Saskatchewan's health care facilities is 39 years," stated the report.
SHR Board Chair Lawrence Chomos said conditions "given 39-year-old buildings" is "no surprise." He added, "The infrastructure we know is poor."
Interestingly the 'poor' rating among SHR facilities included the Invermay Health Centre even after a significant investment last year.
St. Peter's Hospital in Melville, relatively new in terms of health infrastructure, opened in 2002, rated 'good' but with a Facility Condition Index cost of $1,374,240.
Chomos said the big question is what the province does with the findings, questioning whether as a result of the assessment projects to address needs "move up or down the list?
Laurent said SHR is ahead of the curve in terms of knowing its own needs as "the only Region with a Capital Management Plan."
However managing old buildings can mean spending maintenance dollars of a structure which should be replaced.
"We are putting some good money after bad. That's a fact," she said.
Laurent said the assessment at least provides some back-up to the Region's request for additional capital dollars from the province.
"We'll push all the buttons, and let people (in government) know," she said.
