Tag Archives: Maple Creek

News Release

Maple Creek Primary Health Care

Clinic appointment access, no shows discouraged, proper emergency room use promoted

The Primary Health Care clinic within the Universal Care Unit at the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility (SIHF) is a fundamental access point for residents of Maple Creek and surrounding areas who require non-emergent medical care. The Cypress Health Region is promoting access to the clinic through the scheduling of an appointment while also reminding the public of the importance of cancelling appointments that are no longer needed.

The scheduling of patients within the clinic provides a known time for a patient to see a healthcare provider, reduces overall wait times, reduces unnecessary burden placed on the emergency room, and allows the provider team to maintain a steady flow of patients throughout the day.

“We want to emphasize that healthcare provider access at the primary health care clinic located within the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility is very strong, even for same-day appointments. We have a very solid complement of physicians and nurse practitioners working within the facility and this team can be accessed promptly when calling the clinic to book an appointment,” noted Greg Grant, Director of Primary Health Care with Cypress Health.

Provider access, while readily available, is restricted from reaching full capacity due to individuals who do not attend their scheduled appointments. There are an average of over 33 no-shows per month at the facility’s clinic, resulting in opportunity loss for those wishing to see a physician or nurse practitioner as promptly as possible. Cancellation of appointments that are no longer required assists in providing faster access of health services for the entire community.

There are currently five healthcare providers offering excellence in health services at the clinic including: Dr. Govender, Dr. Mudingayi, Dr. Naidoo, and nurse practitioners Erin Roberts and Crystal Olsen. Appointments can be made by calling the clinic directly at 306-662-2829.
If faced with a medical emergency you are asked to dial 9-1-1. Emergency services are available at the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Examples of medical emergencies include heart attack, stroke, loss of consciousness, and convulsions.

Featured, News Release

Influenza Immunizations Remain Available via Drop-In Clinics

The Cypress Health Region has concluded the mass influenza immunization clinic schedule for the 2015 fall campaign. The health region’s Public Health Nursing team provided over 40 clinics in more than 20 communities throughout the region.

With the mass public clinic schedule now completed, the region has moved to the next phase of the influenza immunization campaign. A series of additional clinics have now been made available to provide individuals and families with further opportunities to receive the flu vaccine.

Drop-in style flu clinics have been scheduled and will be offered in the following communities/locations:

 

Swift Current – E.I. Wood Building, 4th Floor (350 Cheadle Street West)

  • Clinic times: 8:30am to 11:30am.
  • Dates: December 18; January 8 and 22; February 5 and 19; March 4 and 18

Maple Creek – Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility (102 – 5th Avenue West)

  • December 8 – 9:00am to 12:00 noon; 1:00pm to 4:00pm
  • December 17 – 1:00pm to 4:00 pm

Shaunavon – Public Health Nursing Office, Shaunavon Hospital & Care Centre

  • December 10 – 9:00am to 12:00 noon; 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Each of the above-noted clinics is drop-in style with no appointment necessary. Both injectable vaccine and FluMist, a nasal spray option for children aged 2-17, will be available for free. Individuals are reminded to bring their Saskatchewan Health Services card to the drop-in clinics.

Parents with children who are under 9 years of age and receiving the influenza immunization for the first time this year should be advised that their child will require a second dose of vaccine to enhance their protection. The second dose will be required one month after the first dose is received.

Immunization is the single most effective measure one can take to protect themselves, their family members, and those around them. The influenza immunization is beneficial for the entire population over the age of six months to receive.

Influenza vaccine is also available at many physician clinics and pharmacies throughout the Cypress Health Region

Questions regarding the influenza vaccine can be directed to your nearest public health nursing office, your family physician, your community pharmacy, or by calling the provincial HealthLine at 8-1-1.

Featured, News Release

Grand Opening Event Held at New Maple Creek Facility on October 23

Government of Saskatchewan News Release

Maple Creek today celebrated the grand opening of the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility, a new facility that is providing a range of health services all under one roof.  Health Minister Dustin Duncan, Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit and Cypress Hills MLA Wayne Elhard joined health care workers, patients, families and residents at the celebration.

“The new Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility will improve the quality of care for residents in this community,” Duncan said.  “Today is a great day for the people of Maple Creek.”

“This new facility aligns with our government’s commitment to improve health care infrastructure in our province so that all patients, residents and families have the supports and services they need to live healthy lives,” Ottenbreit said.

The provincial government contributed $36.24 million toward the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility project which represents 80 per cent of total project costs.  Local funding covered the remaining 20 per cent.

“I’m pleased that our government was able to collaborate with the people of Maple Creek and area to reach our mutual goal of a new health care facility in this community,” Elhard said.  “I would like to congratulate the many community members, municipal councils, and organizations who have contributed their valuable time, expertise and financial resources to make this beautiful facility a reality.”

The Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility provides acute and emergency care services, as well as long-term care.  It is equipped with 48 long-term care beds and 24 acute care beds.  The facility replaces the 21-bed Maple Creek Hospital and the 48-bed Cypress Lodge Nursing Home.

“On behalf of the Cypress Regional Health Authority board, I am pleased that patients, long term care residents and community clients will now be able to access all health care services under one roof,” Cypress Regional Health Authority Board Chairperson Lyle Quintin said.  “After a tremendous amount of planning, it’s exciting for our staff to be providing important services to the community in this brand-new facility.”

In February 2009, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the replacement of 13 long-term care facilities in the province.  The Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility is the eleventh of thirteen projects to be completed, with one in the construction phase in Kelvington and one in the planning phase in Meadow Lake.

Photos of the grand opening event are available in the photo gallery.

News Release

Grand Opening Event Planned for Maple Creek

The Cypress Health Region is excited to announce that a ‘Grand Opening’ event will be held to formally acknowledge the completion of construction and the full transition of services to the new Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility in Maple Creek.

An event will be held on Friday, October 23rd starting at 11:00 AM and will take place at the new facility.

The public is invited to participate in the event and help to celebrate the addition of the newest health care facility in the southwest, which will serve the community of Maple Creek and surrounding areas for many years to come. Those attending are asked to use the main entrance and avoid those parking areas that are designated for patient use.

The Minister of Health and Minister of Rural and Remote Health, as well as local and regional dignitaries will be in attendance at this event. An official ribbon cutting ceremony and unveiling of a commemorative plaque will also take place during the program.

News Release

Planned Power Outage for Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility

A scheduled power outage will occur on Wednesday, September 9th from 1:00 – 6:00 pm at the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility (SIHF) in Maple Creek. The outage is required for the construction’s contractor to address electrical upgrades between the main and backup systems.

News Release

Maple Creek Long Term Care Services to Transition into New Facility

Long term care residents in Maple Creek will be welcoming a new home into their lives as the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility will open the doors to its three long term care homes on August 24.

The move will introduce the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility as the sole location to the community’s spectrum of health services. The long term care move has been carefully coordinated over the summer months and every effort has been made to create a smooth transition for the 45 residents that will now call the new facility home.

“Moving into a new home is an exciting event to be a part of, but as is the case for anyone making such a move, it can be a stressful adjustment as well. We’ve been very mindful of this as we’ve planned this move and we’re working very hard to ensure it’s as smooth and seamless as possible for all of our residents as well as their family members,” commented Trent Regier, Director of Long Term Care and Integrated Health Services for Cypress Health.

The health region will have adequate staff on-site who will assisting with the relocation of residents on August 24th. Immediate family members of residents have also been invited to assist in the move.

Cypress Health staff are now completing a thorough cleaning of the facility’s three long term care houses (named Prairie Oasis, Paradise Pines, and Prairie Meadows as selected by residents, family members, volunteers, and staff). The furnishings for each resident room are also being moved into position in advance of the opening.

August 24th will be an exciting date for the community; however, the health region is requesting that members of the public avoid visiting the long term care houses during the transition day where possible.

“Monday will be a very exciting day for the community and our health region, but it will also be a very busy day as we make this adjustment. We are aware that many people will be wanting to come and see the long term care houses first-hand, but we are asking them to allow a day or two for our residents and their family members to become familiar with the new surroundings. This will also help to avoid cluttering the facility during our move,” added Regier.

The move into the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility will result in a change to the community’s Meals on Wheels service which will be based out of the new facility’s main kitchen beginning Friday, August 21st. As of this date, Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers will be asked to pick up their Meals on Wheels food totes at the kitchen. Volunteers may park in the long term care parking lot on the south side of the facility, use the main long term care entrance, and proceed to the kitchen for this pickup.

A grand opening celebration event for the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility is being planned and a date will be announced in the coming weeks.

News Release

New Facility in Maple Creek Set to Open Doors

Southwest Saskatchewan’s newest health care facility is poised to open its doors for the general public to access a wide variety of health programs under one roof. Acute care and universal care unit services will be available at the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility (SIHF) in Maple Creek on June 17th.

As of 7:00 AM on Wednesday, June 17th, emergency outpatient services will begin to be provided at the new location. This will be followed by laboratory and x-ray services beginning at 8:00 AM, and primary health care clinic and universal care appointments scheduled to see their first patients/clients at 10:00 AM.

“We have been anxiously waiting for this day for quite some time,” said Beth Vachon, Chief Executive Officer for the Cypress Health Region. “The community and surrounding areas have witnessed the construction activity on the site for many months, and now they will be able to benefit from the quality health care programs and services offered in this new state-of-the-art facility.”

Vachon acknowledged the tremendous efforts of the many individuals and organizations who have made this facility a reality. “The support and fundraising efforts provided by the residents of Maple Creek and surrounding communities has been absolutely terrific and we cannot thank them enough,” added Vachon. “This facility is going to allow for our staff to offer enhanced services to the people that we serve and will do so for a long time to come. We couldn’t be happier for everyone involved.”

The transition of long term care residents currently residing at Cypress Lodge Nursing Home is anticipated to occur in mid-August. At that point, all of the region’s health services and programming will be offered until one roof at the new SIHF building.

The new facility includes 24 acute care beds, 45 long term care and 3 multi-purpose beds, a universal care unit (where primary health care clinic, community health services, mental health and addictions, home care, therapies, and other programs will be delivered), drive-through ambulance bays, and many other programs.

A grand opening event will be scheduled for early fall.

For more information regarding the programs and services available at the new Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility and related items, please visit the SIHF webpage. You will be able to view a time lapse video that was developed from the on-site construction camera, which will provide an overview of the entire construction timeline.

News Release

Planning for Transition Into New Maple Creek Facility

Southwest Saskatchewan’s newest health care facility is on the verge of opening its doors to the public and the transition to a variety of acute care and universal care unit programming will take place on June 17th.

Construction crews remain on the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility (SIHF) construction site and are continuing the majority of their efforts in the long term care side of the integrated facility. With the past handover of the acute care and universal care unit areas, Cypress Health and Graham Construction representatives have been identifying and addressing areas that require follow up attention prior to those service areas being made available for the offering of programming to the public.

It is anticipated that the health region will receive the official handover of the entire facility in early to mid-June. At this point, the health region will emphasize a major clean of the acute and universal care areas and finalize the training and orientation of staff. The long term care houses and general areas of the building will undergo the identification of deficiencies that require some follow up attention prior to those areas being determined by the health region as ready for occupancy.

The date of Wednesday, June 17th has been identified as the first day that acute care and universal care unit programs and services will be open to the public. On this date, emergency outpatient, laboratory and x-ray, primary health clinic and physician/nurse practitioner appointments, therapies, home care, and all community health services will be available at the new location. Ambulance services will be based at the SIHF as of this date.

Lorraine Maines is the Health Services Manager for Maple Creek and she is looking forward to moving towards the transition of services in the new location. “Our staff and physicians, the entire community and surrounding areas have waited for this time to arrive and it is almost time to call our new building home,” said Maines. “We can’t wait to open our doors on June 17th for the public to begin receiving acute care services and universal care unit programming in our beautiful new facility.”

In order to appropriately and safely transfer the laboratory equipment to the new location, set them up for use, and perform standard quality testing prior to the June 17th opening, there will be a disruption of acute care services on Tuesday June 16th. There will be no emergency outpatient, laboratory or x-ray services at the temporary Pacific Avenue acute care location on June 16th. Local ambulance crews will be available to deal with any emergencies that arise, and the public are reminded to call 9-1-1 if faced with a medical emergency at all times.

As for the previously announced date of June 25th for a Grand Opening event for the new integrated facility, this celebration event has been postponed until a new date has been chosen. Due to the long term care side of the facility not being ready for occupancy, the health region has decided to postpone the event until the long term care residents, their families, and all of the facility’s staff have been relocated to the new location.

Maines added that the excitement is growing for the long term care residents and their families to move towards their new homes and features of the new facility. “We look forward to the transition of long term care when those areas are ready for our residents and staff.”
Public tour opportunities are anticipated to begin on June 7th, pending any unforeseen circumstances. The public are encouraged to watch for more information about the registration process for these tours.

Additional information regarding the transition of programs and services will be provided in the coming weeks. Details will be made available within the Maple Creek News, via the Cypress Health Region website, posters, on the health region’s Facebook page, and other means.

News Release

Equipment Starts to Move Into the new Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility

The Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility (SIHF) in Maple Creek is welcoming some of the puzzle pieces that it will need prior to opening its doors to the public.  Equipment and furnishings are beginning to be relocated into the areas of the facility that have been completed, while active construction is nearing the finish line on the remainder of the building.

However, even with the additional activity around the new facility’s site, the Cypress Health Region wants to remind the public to continue accessing emergency outpatient, laboratory/x-ray, and primary health care clinic services at their temporary downtown locations until further notice.  Public notice will be provided when the new facility is open for business which is anticipated to occur in late May or early June.

SIHF TVs in Storage
Technology being brought into the new Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility.

Over the past number of months, the downtown maintenance building for the Town of Maple Creek has been the storage home for the furnishings and equipment that have been purchased for the new facility.  Members of the maintenance staff have now  started to transfer some of these items into the areas included in Zone 1 of the SIHF blueprint, including the universal care unit, one half of acute care, medical imaging, mechanical, and electrical areas.

The areas in Zone 1 were handed over to the Cypress Health Region in late February for the transfer of equipment.  During the first week of access, many items were moved and support/patient areas set up which included patient examination tables, stretcher beds, podiatrist chairs, biomedical and household fridges, night stands, materials management warehouse and maintenance shop set up, and the first shipment of information technology equipment.

“Our first week of having access to the building was very productive,” said Trent Regier, Director of Long Term Care & Integrated Health Services for the Cypress Health Region.  “Our staff will continue to transfer the many pieces of equipment, furnishings, and supplies into the universal care and acute areas so that they will be ready for staff orientation and final infection control processes prior to opening.  Once the move into Zone 1 is complete, we will be ready to continue these processes in the remainder of the building.”

Construction crews are making great progress on Zone 2 of the building which includes all of the long term care area, remainder of acute care, nutrition, and general support areas.  Current processes include painting, flooring and ceiling installation, electrical and mechanical work, and installation of kitchen equipment.

Zone 2 is scheduled to be completed by the contractors in mid-April and available for the region to begin the equipment/furnishings transfer into these areas.  Following this, staff orientation and training to the facility and its systems will begin.

Regier is optimistic that if the construction and other processes continue as per the current schedule, substantial completion of the building is anticipated to occur in mid-April.  “We are estimating a 4-6 week of time between substantial completion and being ready to open the building to provide services to the public,” added Regier.  “This timeline will allow for staff training and orientation along with the required enhanced cleaning ensuring that the facility is ready for our long term care residents and patients.”

Discussions are continuing to occur with the Southwest Health Trust Board to finalize the details for the donor wall signage installation.  In addition, the SIHF Art Foundation will be touring Zone 1 to finalize installations of artwork they have been collecting, and the Cowgirl Cattle Company are preparing for the furnishing of the bunkhouses where patients’ families will be given the opportunity to use during the day or stay overnight.

Having served the community and surrounding areas for over 50 years, the Maple Creek Hospital building will be demolished.  Dakota Reclamators were awarded the demolition contract and will begin their processes later this week.  The local Salvation Army and Museum have taken the opportunity to access some of the building’s equipment, fixtures and furnishings, while other items have been redeployed within the region’s facilities.  The demolition is scheduled to be complete by the end of April.

News Release

Construction Delays for New Maple Creek Facility

As the timelines for the transition into the new Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility grow closer, the Cypress Health Region has been informed that the construction project has experienced significant and unforeseen delays which will cause a further delay in the completion of the project. During recent discussions with the project’s general contractor, Graham Construction, the health region was advised that the date of substantial completion and possession of the building has been pushed back into 2015.

The health region was updated with timelines associated with a two-stage construction completion:

  • Zone 1 (which includes the universal care unit, one acute care wing, diagnostics, plant operations, and health records areas) will be completed on January 5, 2015.
  • Zone 2 (which includes the remainder of acute care, all long term care areas, nutrition, and administration areas) will be completed on March 2, 2015.

The identified substantial completion dates will then be followed by a series of process steps prior to the actual opening of these areas being available for services to be offered to the public. These processes include staff training and orientation to the new facility’s layout, equipment, and technologies; required safety checks; general cleaning of all areas and other facility preparations; and, the opportunity for public tours. It is anticipated that these process steps can be achieved within a 6-week window of time following substantial completion. The transfer of long term care residents from Cypress Lodge will occur following the March 2nd date and when the above-noted process steps are completed.

As a result of this information and new timeline developments, the health region is currently reviewing the transition plan relating to the anticipated move to the new facility. A revised plan is being developed that will ensure the safety and appropriateness of moving programs and services to the new integrated facility.

“The community and our staff are anxiously looking forward to the point in time when our health programs and services will be transferred to the new facility so these recent developments are disappointing,” said Brenda Schwan, Executive Director of Human Resources and Capital Project Lead for Cypress Health Region. “However, we realize that our construction partners are making extra efforts to maintain these new completion timelines and we are optimistic that they will do so.”

Schwan acknowledged that the construction delays will mean that the temporary locations for acute, emergency services, primary health care, and some community services will continue for longer than anticipated.

“The health region is very proud of our staff and we realize that the Maple Creek staff has managed to continue delivering quality services in spite of less than ideal conditions,” added Schwan. “We are working hard to make the transition into the new building happen as soon as possible in a safe manner for our staff, patients, residents, and clients.”

The health region would like to extend its appreciation to the community and residents for their patience and understanding with the current situation. The new integrated facility will provide many benefits for southwest health care and staff recruitment in the coming years.