Service to evacuees commended

Dear Editor

Prairie North Health Region publicly acknowledges the outstanding individual and collective contributions of its employees, programs and facilities for their prompt response, care and assistance to the evacuees from Northern Saskatchewan communities due to this summer’s forest fires.

Special Recognition goes to:

• Meadow Lake Ambulance, Marshall’s Ambulance St. Walburg, and WPD Ambulance crews for transporting high risk medical patients to safe environments in Meadow Lake, Goodsoil, Loon Lake, Edam, the Battlefords, and Lloydminster.

•  Management and staff of Northland Pioneers Lodge in Meadow Lake, L. Gervais Memorial Health Centre in Goodsoil, Loon Lake Health Centre and Special Care Home, Lady Minto Health Care Center in Edam, Battlefords District Care Centre and River Heights Lodge in The Battlefords and Lloydminster Continuing Care Centre and Jubilee Home in Lloydminster for welcoming, accommodating and caring for 25 long-term care resident evacuees.

• Meadow Lake Hospital Medical and Emergency Departments, ML Home Care, and ML Primary Health Care Clinic for providing daily care and assistance to evacuees in their community and area.

• Battlefords Home Care staff who provided daily two-hour health clinic services on site where most of the 400 evacuees were lodged in North Battleford, with on-call and on-site support from Battlefords Family Health Centre nurse practitioner.

• Battlefords Union Hospital Admitting, Emergency, Medical and Surgical Departments for services provided to evacuees in need of acute care.

• All other PNHR physicians, staff and services assisting evacuees and forest firefighting efforts in any way or capacity.

All of you demonstrated compassion, resilience and responsiveness to those who needed it, while you maintained health care and service to PNHR residents.

Prairie North Health Region commends the Red Cross, Flying Dust First Nation, Keewatin Yatthe Health Region, and all individuals, agencies, and organizations for their extraordinary efforts and contributions throughout the recent forest fire emergencies.

David Fan, CEO

Prairie North Health Region