Delivery of a new ambulance for Prairie North Health Region’s Cut Knife Ambulance Service means improved safety and reliability for patients needing emergency medical transportation.
PNHR and Cut Knife Ambulance Service have taken delivery of the new $167,000 vehicle purchased from Crestline Coach Ltd. in Saskatoon. Full funding to purchase the new ambulance came through the Town of Cut Knife Community Trust Fund and the Rural Municipality of Cut Knife Community Trust Fund.
“We are deeply grateful to the Town and the RM for their generous support in covering the total cost of this brand new ambulance that will enhance access to the emergency medical care and service patients need,” said Chris Thiele, director of Emergency Health Services for PNHR.
Cut Knife mayor Gwenn Kaye said, “It gives me great pleasure to be part of the process of purchasing a new ambulance which will better serve the town of Cut Knife and surrounding communities.”
RM of Cut Knife Reeve Lorne Veikle stated, “I am very grateful to the people of the RM and the Town for their commitment to fully fund the cost of the new ambulance.”
Veikle expressed gratitude as well to earlier residents of the communities for existence of the trust funds that enabled the purchase.
The new ambulance replaces the 2006 unit as Cut Knife’s primary emergency medical vehicle. The 2006 unit remains in use as the Cut Knife service’s backup ambulance.
The new unit includes a power assist stretcher that improves patient and staff safety during loading and unloading of patients. The unit will also be equipped with the new $40,000 cardiac monitor purchased recently by PNHR. The monitor will be transferred from the backup unit to the new ambulance.
Thiele said, “The Cut Knife Ambulance Service and its team of primary care and intermediate care paramedics are valuable members of our health care system. They will benefit from the enhanced safety and reliability features the new unit provides.”
To accommodate the new larger vehicle, Prairie North is doing $20,000 in adjustments to the existing Cut Knife ambulance bay.
Remaining RM trust funds of $40,000 have been committed to purchase necessary equipment for the Cut Knife Health Complex long-term care program, medical clinic and home care service.
The Community Trust Funds were established in 1994 upon amalgamation of the Cut Knife and District Special Care Home with the Twin Rivers Health District. The community-generated funds were designated for health-related purposes in Cut Knife and area. Twin Rivers Health District became part of Prairie North Health Region when health regions were created by the province in 2002. The funds can be used only with agreement of the respective municipalities and PNHR.
