At the November 25 regular meeting of the Sunrise Health Region board, a report was given stating that the official opening of the Canora Health and Wellness Centre and the success of the Canora Collaborative Emergency Centre (CEC) were celebrated on November 19.
Among the dignitaries in attendance were Greg Ottenbreit, minister of Rural and Remote Health, and MLA Ken Krawetz.
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The board was told that on November 24, the Practitioner Liaison Committee took part in what was described as a positive and constructive meeting. This committee is co-chaired by Lawrence Chomos, the board chairperson, and Dr. Oluwole Oduntan.
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President and CEO Suann Laurent presented highlights from the previous month which included the Accreditation Canada survey from November 2-6. At the time of the meeting, the board was still awaiting the report of findings and the official accreditation status.
The Kamsack Family Resource Centre now has an advisory board with terms of reference, Laurent reported. The goals of the advisory board are engagement and active participation with First Nation maternal child health programs, engagement of families prenatally and with young children to develop family resource centre programming, and initiation of early childhood development programming to offer services and supports for parent knowledge and to help influence positive health and social outcomes.
In order to comply with fire regulations, the entire front curb of Yorkton Regional Health Centre is now a no parking fire lane. Temporary parking spots for drop off parking were created along the front hedge and the health region appreciates the public’s assistance in keeping the fire lane clear, Laurent said.
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In October, remedial work was completed to shore up an 80-foot span of the St. Paul’s Lutheran Home over the kitchen area, she reported. The facilities tar and ballast roof will need to be replaced at an estimated cost of $750,000.
The health region is diligent in recruitment of nurses to the Kamsack area where retirements have resulted in a lower-than-desired supply of nursing staff. In the past year, four new RNs were hired to replace four who left, Laurent reported. Additional retirements of full-time RNs have occurred, leaving vacant positions which the health region is having difficulty filling.
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Nursing supply and recruitment of diagnostic staff is also a concern for St. Anthony’s Hospital. On October 27-28, the staff services department moved from leased space on Circlebrooke Drive into region-owned space at the Sunrise Public Health Building.
Dr. Hamed Afshari started seeing clients in Canora during the week of October 13. In January and February of 2016, Dr. Sirous Jafarian is anticipated to arrive in Canora, Dr. Shahrestani in Preeceville and Dr. Rohani in Esterhazy, pending completion of their 12-week Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) clinical field assessment.
On December 1, the health region was to have welcomed Dr. Sylvester Erhaze to the Clinical Department and Services of Psychiatry.
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The board approved the purchase of capital equipment and projects totaling $336,870.
Thanks to donations made to the Yorkton Regional Health Centre, St. Peter’s Hospital and the Health Foundation, the region was able to purchase a Fast Pak Drug packaging machine costing $293,000 that will improve safety and quality of drug distribution in the health facilities. The board approved payments of $150,032 for purchased linen services.
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The Financial Condition Report for the period up to and including September 30 showed the Sunrise Health Region in a surplus position with the operating expenditures less than operating revenue by $1,001,657.
It was noted that at the October board meeting, Gary Shepherd, director of Mental Health & Addictions Services, gave a presentation on the health region’s success and challenges related to the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for Saskatchewan. The current focus of regional directors in all health regions is to work in collaboration to reduce wait times for outpatient services, implementation of a suicide framework and protocol, reducing psychiatry wait times, knowledge exchange and cross training for clinicians to become more familiar with addictions and mental health, implementation of a computerized evidence-based level of care tool to assess what people need for services, reducing re-admissions and maintaining levels of long term stays greater than 60 days in in-patient mental health facilities.
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Lawrence Chomos, the board chairperson thanked Gary Shepherd for his presentation which gave the Board further insight into the work of his team of mental health and addictions services professionals who are making a difference in the region.
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Sandy Tokaruk, the vice-president of Integrated Primary Health Services, presented the annual highlights report of successes and challenges in her portfolio which includes public health, home care, primary health care, therapies, mental health and addiction services, social work and KidsFirst. There are 368.5 full-time-equivalent employees delivering services from six primary health care sites, nine public health offices, 10 home care offices and with mental health and addiction services, social work and therapy services outreach into many facilities and communities in the region.
The next meeting of the Sunrise board is scheduled for January 27.
