Residents from the local and surrounding areas united as one in the fight against the Sunrise Health Region’s announcement on May 17 that it was closing the emergency and acute care departments at the Preeceville and District Health Centre. The closure went into effect June 1.
The town-wide meeting was held at the Preeceville Legion Hall on May 30 with approximately 400 individuals in attendance. Mayor Garth Harris and a panel of committee members who represented the surrounding towns and rural municipalities were all in attendance.
The committee includes: Jim Ward (Town of Preeceville), Mark Bourassa (Town of Preeceville and Preeceville Ambulance), Jennifer Bayer (Town of Sturgis), James Bodnar and Lisa Peterson (RM of Preeceville), Stacey Strykowski (leader), Bradley Romanchuk (Village of Endeavour) and Lorne Olineck (RM of Buchanan).
Mayor Harris welcomed everyone and read a letter from Premier Brad Wall. Harris encouraged everyone not to give up and to keep making noise as the government was noticing.
“The Preeceville Hospital is something to be very proud of,” Harris said. “We have a new centre, 10 acres of land that is located behind the hospital and has been denoted for a helicopter pad, a STARS air ambulance refueling station, Tele-health and state-of-the-art equipment, all paid for by community members.”
Each representative spoke briefly with words of encouragement, standing united together in the fight to get the emergency and acute care back into the hospital.
Mark Bourassa spoke on behalf of the ambulance.
“We are fully staffed with two ambulances and an Acute Care Paramedic on hand at all times,” Bourassa said. “As of June 1 we are working with Dawn Kennedy, nurse practitioner, during this no-emergency-care state. We have access to STARS and we want to re-assure people that while your call may take longer, we are doing the best we can to provide the best possible care,”
The floor opened to questions and concerns from the public. The concerns were written down and were going to be taken by committee members to the meeting with Sunrise Health Region on June 29.
Sunrise Health Region mailed a letter to each household explaining the temporary service disruption.
“Effective June 1, 2016, acute inpatient admissions and emergency room services will be temporarily suspended at the Preeceville and District Health Centre until consistent and sustainable on-call physician coverage is secured,” the letter said. “All other services continue uninterrupted.
“The Preeceville and District Health Centre facility is not closing,” it said. Sunrise Health Region has been assured that Dr. Shahrestani and Dawn Kennedy, the nurse practitioner, are committed to continuing clinic practice in Preeceville.
“A second physician recruited for Preeceville is registered for the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment. If the physician is successful then (he or she) will be in the community in mid October.”
