For the Sunrise Health Region, 2011 was less tumultuous than the previous year, but still highly eventful.
In many ways, it was a year of stabilization. For the first time in nearly half a decade, the health region reported a budget surplus, something it anticipates maintaining into the future. Most of the remaining damage to Yorkton facilities from the 2010 summer flood was repaired. Interim CEO Suann Laurent, who took over on a temporary basis after Joe Kirwan's sudden resignation in 2010, was appointed permanent CEO in June.
There were also bumps along the way. In April, a physician shortage necessitated the temporary closure of emergency and in-patient services at Kamsack Hospital until summer. Electrical repairs required another scheduled short-term electrical interruption at Yorkton Regional Health Centre in October, although the process was smoothed by experience gained during a similar interruption last year.
2011 was the year that conceptual planning began for new healthcare facilities in Yorkton and Canora. That process is now nearing completion.
"We're going to be moving that final plan to our January board meeting, and then we'll follow through with the next steps on that," says Suann Laurent.
Once the local board approves the plans, they will be submitted to the Ministry of Health for evaluation. A conceptual plan for Esterhazy's St. Anthony's Hospital has already reached this stage.
Early this year, the Stroke Prevention Clinic, the second major component of the health region's Integrated Stroke Strategy pilot project, opened at Yorkton Regional Health Centre. The clinic, along with the stroke rehabilitation program located in Yorkton and District Nursing Home, offers services unprecedented in the region for stroke victims and people at risk of a stroke.
As of 2011, the provincial RIS/PACS system is up and running in the region, allowing medical professionals to quickly share digital diagnostic images regardless of their location.
There will be plenty of work to do in 2012 as well. In the coming year, surveyors from Accreditation Canada will visit the region for Sunrise's fourth region-wide accreditation survey, measuring how services here stack up against national healthcare standards. Also in 2012, new advisory groups made up of area residents will give the health region feedback from a client perspective.
"That's really great to pause and see where we are and what we need to do to improve," says Laurent.
Recruitment will continue to be one of the most pressing challenges for the health region in the future, says the CEO. Five new physicians joined Sunrise in 2011, but more than ten vacancies remain. Many other health professionals are also needed, and continued population growth in the region adds to the pressure.
A few new initiatives are underway to address the shortage. Sunrise is looking at hiring a dedicated nurse recruiter in the New Year, and is in discussions with educational institutions to begin inviting resident physicians to complete their practicums in the region.
"The research shows that if people do their practicums here, that they're more apt to stay," says Laurent.
Although the Sunrise Health Region is on target with most of its self-evaluation measures, its wage-driven premiums (staff overtime and sick time) remain above the provincial average.
"That's a significant concern," Laurent says.
New attendance management strategies will be implemented in the near future to combat the problem.
But overall, Laurent says she is pleased with the progress of the health region. She thanks Sunrise's staff for all of their hard work.
"I'm very happy with where we've been this past year and very excited for where we'll go in the future."
