New and returning members were welcomed by the chairman, Larence Chomos, during the October 28 meeting of the Sunrise Health Region board.
In addition to Chomos, returning board members are Shirley Wolfe-Keller, Dave Schappert, Gordon Gendur, and Don Rae, vice-chairman. New board members are Bob Drayer, Glenn Leontowich and Deborah Schmidt. Garth Harris, a new member, was not able to attend the board meeting due to a prior commitment. However, all board members participated in board orientation sessions in October.
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Chomos reported that on October 20, health region chairpersons from across the province met with Dustin Duncan, the health minister, and Greg Ottenbreit, minister responsible for Rural and Remote Health. Included in the topics for discussion were critical incidents, ambulance services, pay for performance, equity, transparency and adequacy of funding, infrastructure and capital investment, and the core services to be offered by health regions.
Chomos attended the Governing Council and 3sHealth planning session in Saskatoon.
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CEO Suann Laurent presented a written report in which she highlighted the upcoming accreditation survey. Nine surveyors from Accreditation Canada were to be in the health region from November 1-6 to observe and assess all programs and services against national standards of excellence.
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Laurent reported on the new Family Resource Centre in Kamsack which serves a need identified in the Sunrise Health Region’s Health Status in Early Childhood report.
The Kamsack Family Resource Centre is based on the Yorkton Family Resource Centre model and provides parenting classes, social interaction, nutrition education, and activities to support healthy families and early childhood development. The primary target population for the service is families with children five years of age and younger.
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The board was told that the annual Health Foundation Gala on October 2 raised $39,500 towards the CT scanner replacement project.
The new scanner will cost $1.2 million, with half the cost funded by the provincial government. The Health Foundation has raised $465,000 towards the scanner and continues to fundraise with the goal of raising $600,000 by the end of November.
During the Gala, the Farming for Health steering committee presented proceeds of the 2015 crop year which totalled $175,028. Over the past three years the Farming for Health campaign has raised $594,000 for the regional hospital building fund.
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Board member appointments were made for the board, regional and provincial committees. An appointment was also made to the Community Health Advisory Committee (CHAC) - Area 1.
Allison Thomsen, a Grade 11 student from Kamsack, was appointed to represent the area for Foam Lake, Invermay, Canora, Kamsack, Norquay, and Preeceville.
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The Financial Condition Report, up to and including August 31, showed the Sunrise Health Region in a surplus position with operating revenues exceeding the operating expenditures by $1,370,177.
The majority of the surplus is due to a one-time premiums rebate of $1.2 million from the Workers Compensation Board.
The health region has an annual budget of $220 million and approximately $600,000 is needed each day to run the health region.
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Roberta Wiwcharuk, vice-president of Integrated Health Services, presented the annual report of successes and challenges in her portfolio. The integrated health services portfolio includes acute care, long-term care, emergency and medical services, diagnostics, infection prevention and control, and professional practice.
Among the highlights in this year’s report is the “Open Family Presence” policy which allows visiting of patients and residents, at all times, and according to patient wishes. The policy applies to all hospitals and long-term care homes in the region.
Community donations made it possible to establish a breast milk depot at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre.
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A geriatric response intervention team was created to support the care for difficult-to-manage clients, such as those with brain injuries, dementia and other health conditions that can affect behaviour.
More than 850 employees have received “Gentle Persuasive Approaches” training to enhance their interactions with patients and residents. Annual long-term facility tours by the executive leadership team and the “Purposeful Interaction” program are two initiatives designed to hear and act on the wishes of residents.
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The board was told the Canora Hospital was renovated to include the Canora Health and Wellness Centre, a project made possible by Ministry of Health funding and community donations.
Public tours of the new facility will be held on November 19.
In the past year, renovations were also completed at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre in the microbiology area to increase space and in the pharmacy to comply with pharmacy standards.
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The mammography program in Sunrise Health Region achieved three-year accreditation status. The 10 laboratories in Sunrise Health Region received on-site inspections in May of 2014 for the laboratory quality assurance program of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.
The process to achieve full laboratory accreditation requires 7,053 standards to be met. As of October 12, there was only one laboratory standard still to be achieved at the six acute care sites.
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The next meeting of Sunrise Health Region board is scheduled for November 25.
