The board of directors of the Sun Country Health Region chose Estevan as their meeting place for a general business session on Feb. 26.
The board and a few key administration personnel gathered in the main auditorium with chairwoman Marilyn Charlton.
The vice-president of community health, Janice Giroux informed the board that the integration of addiction services had gone well with no staffing interruptions or layoffs. Prior to the merger, addiction services were available through St. Joesph's Hospital as well as Sun Country. The service extends to schools she said, with a recent focus being placed on the dangerous use of synthetic drugs by many of today's young illegal drug consumers.
She also noted there is a continuation of services for those afflicted with gambling addiction.
A wall walk, which is a summary of ongoing efforts to improve efficiencies in each department, was conducted at the outset of the meeting. The walks are generally led by senior administrators including CEO Marga Cugnet and Giroux as well as Murray Goeres, VP of health facilities, John Knoch, VP of finance and corporate services and Don Ehman, VP of human resources.
Knoch provided a brief overview of the region's financial status noting that with a final quarter looming there was a slim $1.1 million surplus, which represented less than one per cent of their total budget.
The board approved the purchase of a four-wheel drive ambulance for the Pangman area with the purchase costs being shared on a 50:50 basis between the community and the health region. Estevan board member Lori Carr pointed out while making the motion that the accepted extra costs associated with use of the heavier and less fuel-efficient unit would be borne by the community since they were the ones who requested the additional features for this particular ambulance.
An update on capital construction projects was provided by Knoch who noted that the Redvers long-term care facility is slightly behind schedule but should be ready for occupancy by mid-April while another long-term care unit in Radville should be ready the first week in May with 25 long-term care beds and a few acute-care beds being readied for community and regional use.
The Kipling integrated health-care facility is now underway with a 33-bed long-term care wing being included with a 12-bed acute-care health centre.
Cugnet reported that currently there are three physicians completing their residency programs in Sun Country, one of them in Estevan.
The board then approved a motion to provide their lone paid employee, Cugnet, with a 1.5 per cent wage increase based on accepted provincial parameters for those deployed in similar roles throughout Saskatchewan.
The Sun Country administrative structure provides a base salary of 90 per cent of a contracted wage with the additional 10 per cent coming in bonus form if the employee meets targeted goals established by the employer.
The wage increase will take effect Apr. 1. Cugnet's new base salary (90 per cent) will be $237,602 with a further $23,700 due if the targeted expectations are met.
