(May 21, 2008) Saskatoon – The Saskatoon Health Region is moving forward with a plan to consolidate community-based and acute care services into one facility in Wakaw. Staff from the Community Services Building will relocate into the Wakaw Hospital within the next few weeks.
Room will be made by relocating the existing palliative care room and family room to the inpatient care wing on the west side of the hospital. As well, some currently underutilized patient rooms will be decommissioned to accommodate the integration of services. Renovations to some parts of the facility are planned as part of this relocation, however, community services staff will actually move to their new space before the renovations commence. The hospital’s inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic and emergency services will continue exactly as they have in the past with no changes to the existing staff complement.
“This plan will serve to provide for more coordinated care across the continuum of acute and community-based services,” states Kelvin Fisher, Director of Rural Health & Planning. “We already moved Home Care into the hospital a number of years ago and this move to further co-locate other community-based services just made good sense.” The region is confident that with this integration the residents of Wakaw and area will experience enhanced care as a result of all services being available under one roof.
The region intends to transfer title of the Community Services Building to the Town of Wakaw and the Rural Municipalities of Hoodoo, Fish Creek and St. Louis. The municipalities intend to renovate the building for use as a physician medical clinic. “This will hopefully be an attractive resource in order to retain and recruit physicians in the future, says Wakaw Mayor Ed Kidd. “Many rural towns, in order to promote their communities, are providing buildings for physicians to practice in, and we believe we need to provide the same incentive for physicians.”
Area municipalities and the health region are working closely together in an effort to recruit additional physicians. “We are working hard to show physicians that this is an attractive area to come to, stay and practice medicine, stated Fisher.”
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For more information contact:
James Winkel
Corporate and Public Affairs Adviser
Saskatoon Health Region
306-655-3253
Saskatoon Health Region
“Healthiest people, healthiest communities, exceptional service.”
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