Public consultations underway

The Sunrise Health Region launched the public consultation phase of its conceptual planning process for new facilities in Canora and Yorkton with a pair of meetings last week.

Two major building projects are in their early stages within the region: an integrated facility in Canora and a replacement or regeneration of Yorkton Regional Health Centre. Meetings on September 19 in Canora and September 20 in Yorkton were the first opportunity for the public to contribute its thoughts on the projects.

"It's really important to get the public involved as soon as possible in our conceptual planning process so that we can see where people's ideas are, and what they're thinking about the current state of our health system, and where they want to see us go in the future," said Sunrise CEO Suann Laurent at the Yorkton meeting.

Mark Vaughan of Cannon Design, the firm hired to design the new facilities, led a presentation on the goals and status of the conceptual planning process. Vaughan talked at length about the philosophies and motivations behind the projects but offered few specifics on the potential features of the new facilities, insisting that the current focus is "on clients, not buildings."

But a few hints were provided. Any future hospitals built in the region will be designed with certain goals in mind, said Vaughan: access to multiple care options, such as acute care, home care, telemedicine, and retail clinics; open floor plans with few walls to encourage a team-based approach; layouts structured around minimizing movement for clients and caregivers; efficiency and low cost; and sustainable environmental practices.

About 30 people attended the meeting in Yorkton, roughly half of them members of the public. During the open discussion portion of the evening, some attendees asked for clarification on the health region's stated plans to change its delivery of healthcare, while others expressed their hopes for improved services in specific areas.

The bulk of public contributions will likely come through the written submission process launched last week. A printed survey form asking respondents about their health service priorities and experiences with local facilities was issued to attendees of both meetings. The same survey is now available online through the Sunrise Health Region website: http://sunrisehealthregion.sk.ca under the "Conceptual Planning" link.
On the same website is a public discussion page, where the planning committee plans to provide "frequent" updates in response to submitted questions.

The first phase of the conceptual planning process, which will also enlist the help of the region's physicians, staff, and patients, should wrap up by the end of December. A report will then be submitted to the Ministry of Health in January, and, conditional upon its approval, a more detailed assessment phase will begin.

Public input will be welcomed over various channels at all stages of the planning process, said Laurent.
"We want to engage as many people as possible."