Health-care centres within the Sun Country Health Region (SCHR) are making better use of the Telehealth video/audio live streaming communication system said the region's CEO Marga Cugnet, during the region's board meeting on Nov. 27.
The health region's chief administrator said use of the system is increasing and Sunset Haven in Carnduff recently joined the network while Moose Mountain Lodge in Carlyle and the Estevan Regional Nursing Home are waiting for infrastructure upgrades that will allow them to connect to the system. Telehealth is also used to connect SCHR health professionals and their patients with professionals in other centres to assist in such things as diagnosis and recovery checkups.
John Knoch, vice-president of corporate and financial services for SCHR, reported to the board that the region was currently experiencing a surplus of approximately $1 million, which might sound impressive on the surface, but based on a total budget of $140 million, it meant the system would have to run very tightly and efficiently in the final quarter in order to stay out of a deficit situation.
"We will need to remain vigilant," said Knoch. Such things as managing employee attendance will be vital in maintaining a balanced budget, he said.
Knoch added that higher maintenance costs have been recorded at some of the region's 28 facilities. Those costs were associated with the construction of wheelchair ramps, ventilation improvements and asbestos removal in response to an order from the Labour Ministry.
In response to a question from Estevan board representative Gary St. Onge, Knoch said that no extra money had been received yet from the provincial government to offset the new expenditures that were ordered.
Knoch also noted that the construction of the Radville long-term care facility is behind schedule with a completion date now set for sometime in March and an expected move-in of residents beginning in April of next year.
In Redvers, the renovation and addition project has moved along on time with the addition part of the project now completed with the official opening having been held in October. The renovations, the second part of the program, will be completed by January with residents being able to move in by February, he said.
As far as the new Kipling Integrated Health Centre project is concerned, Knoch was pleased to report that it was actually two weeks ahead of schedule and was proceeding well within budget at this early stage.
St. Onge asked administration how things were progressing for long-term care residents who were currently residing in facilities that were not their first choice.
Cugnet replied by saying that there are now fewer than 100 residents and their families seeking transfers to other facilities. That number was well over 100 two months ago, so progress has been made. She added that "some do get settled into a new site and find that they like it, so once they get into it and have stayed for awhile, they drop the transfer request."
Board member Derrill Rodine who took the lead on a series of community leadership networking sessions around the region in October and November said that while attendance was down this year, the quality of the questions were very good and the civic and rural administration representatives appeared to be pleased with the fact that they received direct answers to their direct questions, either during the sessions themselves, since they were well attended by administrative personnel, or they received a response shortly after.
"We will have a committee meeting in January to evaluate the efficiency of these meetings, including the cost of running them," Rodine told the board.
Board member Karen Stephenson said she received feedback from the Bengough meeting that indicated the 50 or more people in attendance were pleased with the responses they received to their questions and concerns.
In her CEO's report, Cugnet made note of the fact that Sun Country had issued 50 bursaries from April 1 including 39 for students who are in registered nursing programs and one who is involved in a nurse practitioner program. There is also one occupational therapist in training and two students in primary care paramedic programs and two more in emergency medical response programs. There are also three doctors in training who have accepted bursaries from Sun Country.
In the previous year, SCHR had awarded 54 bursaries.
Cugnet later told the Mercury that besides the continuing need to fill nursing and physician posts, there is ongoing pressure in various facilities to fill the gaps in physiotherapy departments as well as dietary, housekeeping and maintenance. She said if those rosters could be filled out with more full-time and regular part-time employees would mean there could be less spent on overtime.
The Sun Country board will meet again for a regular open business session on Jan. 29.
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