Tag Archives: Swift Current

Cypress Medical and Surgical Specialists Clinic Opens September 25

Swift Current’s newest medical clinic, the Cypress Medical and Surgical Specialists Clinic, is scheduled to begin their new operations on Monday, September 25, 2017.

Dr. A. Ghori, Dr. A. Mulla, Dr. V. Gali, Dr. N. Malleck, and Dr. S. Fakhir will be relocating from Central Medical Clinic to the Cypress Medical and Surgical Specialists Clinic as of September 25.

The new Clinic’s permanent address will be 201 – 1921 Saskatchewan Drive.
Phone number: 306-773-7711.  Fax number: 306-773-7717.

The Clinic is privately owned and is not directly affiliated with Cypress Health.

The Central Medical Clinic will continue to operate and is not closed.  The physicians continuing to practice at Central Medical Clinic include Dr. A. Akinfiresoye, Dr. R. Serwadda, Dr. T. Khonje, and Dr. S. Garcia.

Celebrating Completion of Swift Current’s New Long Term Care Facility

Original release from saskatchewan.ca

Premier Brad Wall today offered an early welcome to residents who will begin moving into The Meadows on June 5, at a celebration of the completion of the new Swift Current long-term care facility.

“The next few months are going to be exciting as more than 200 Swift Current citizens move into their new home, the home they and their families helped design,” Wall said.  “The opening of The Meadows is an important milestone for our city and the entire province.  The facility is the result of an extraordinary collaboration between families, staff and administration, and it is the first public-private partnership completed in our province.  Saskatchewan has a well-earned reputation for innovation and excellence in health care.  That spirit is alive and well today.  The Meadows is evidence.”

The new, 225 bed long-term care facility was completed on schedule and on budget at the beginning of May 2016.  The Meadows replaces three aging long-term care facilities in the community – the Swift Current Care Centre, the Palliser Regional Care Centre and the Prairie Pioneer Lodge.

The Meadows provides 210 long-term care beds (an increase from 198), and an additional 15 beds for respite and palliative care.  The facility features a unique design of small resident homes that create a community feel and encourage social interaction among residents and the surrounding community.

“This facility has been an important priority for our region and will be a major improvement for our long-term care residents,” Cypress Health Region CEO Beth Vachon said.  “A substantial amount of work has been put behind this project from not only our staff, but also from our residents, family members, patient representatives, and others who were involved in its design.  We are very pleased that our first of three move-in days has finally arrived.  I would like to thank all of those who have been working tirelessly to prepare The Meadows for this move-in to take place.”

The Meadows is the first completed project in the province to be paid for using a P3 public-private partnership funding model in co-operation with Plenary Group, SaskBuilds and the Cypress Health Region, who will retain ownership and operation of the facility.

Those who will be calling The Meadows home will be moving into the new facility in a three phase transition, with the first residents moving in on June 5.  The second phase of move-ins will take place in early August with the final phase occurring mid-September.

New 225-Bed Swift Current Long Term Care Facility Name: The Meadows

A motion was made at the April 13 Regional Health Authority Meeting to name the new 225-bed long term care facility in Swift Current as The Meadows.

The Meadows is nearing construction completion and is attached to the existing Cypress Regional Hospital in Swift Current.  The facility will replace the three existing long term care facilities in the community: Palliser Regional Care Centre, Prairie Pioneers Lodge, and the Swift Current Care Centre.

Read more information about the new facility.

Transition and Move-In Plans Announced for New Swift Current Long Term Care Facility

Construction of the new 225-bed long term care facility in Swift Current is nearing completion and plans for moving staff and residents into the new facility are well underway.  A three phase transition approach is being implemented to ensure that all residents are comfortably moved into their new homes beginning in early June.

The health region has assembled a transition committee to oversee the entire move-in process.  The committee, made up of various health care providers including nursing staff, social workers, management, supporting staff, and others, is overseeing each of the move’s three phases.

The first existing facility to move into the new Swift Current Long Term Care facility will be the Prairie Pioneers Lodge (PPL). All PPL residents, plus an additional 10 residents from the Swift Current and Palliser Regional Care Centres, will be moving into the new facility on Sunday, June 5. Remaining residents of the Swift Current Care Centre will move on Sunday, August 7 and the Palliser Regional Care Centre will complete its move on Sunday, September 18.  Sundays were carefully selected as the most appropriate date so that, where possible, family members may be present to assist their loved ones.

“We are very excited to begin to transition into this beautiful new facility, which we know will be such a significant improvement for residents and staff when compared to our existing long term care facilities in Swift Current,” said Brenda Schwan, Vice President of Continuing Care and Capital Project Lead for the Cypress Health Region.  “Our transition committee has been working hard since early in the year to develop a move-in plan that will make sense for the region, but that will also align with the wishes of our residents and their families. Moving in three phases is an important step being taken to make sure that our move goes as smoothly as possible.”

Each phase will see approximately 60 residents move into one of three total neighborhoods.  The health region is making direct contact with residents and family members to discuss move-in plans and provide information regarding more specific processes, such as phone/TV transfers and mail forwarding.

“We are working hard to provide as much information as possible in advance of the move-in dates.  We know how disruptive it is for anyone to move into a new home, which is also the case for our long term care residents moving into their new homes.  The more organized we can be prior to moving in, the better the transition will be for everyone,” added Schwan.

Family members with questions about the move-in and transition process are being asked to speak with their facility’s social worker.  Updated construction and transition details will also be posted on the Cypress Health website as they become available.

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.

EMS Partnership with Swift Current Ambulance

The Cypress Health Region and Swift Current & District Ambulance Service have entered into a formal partnership that will see the Ambulance Service assume a major role for the overall planning, coordination, and implementation of emergency medical services (EMS) in the health region.

Effective January 1, 2015, Nelson Pompu and Bob Dyke of the Swift Current Ambulance Service will become more actively involved in the management of EMS services that are owned and coordinated by the health region. As part of an agreement signed by both parties, Pompu will assume the position of Manager of EMS Services and Dyke will provide his expertise in the role of First Responder Coordinator.

Pompu and Dyke will work extensively with Cypress Health’s Director of EMS and Home Care to ensure that a consistent out of hospital emergency medical service is provided throughout the health region’s communities. The partnership will continue to meet and exceed the current standards of care in EMS.

The partnership will see Pompu and Dyke involved in providing oversight to the health region’s EMS providers to ensure patient care is delivered according to best practice and provincial protocols, maintain acceptable levels of EMS personnel in all sites, develop recruitment strategies to enhance the numbers of EMS personnel throughout the region, develop and offer in-house continuing educational programming targeting the required annual courses, developing strategies to further develop and enhance the EMS role in home care/long term care/para-medicine programming, develop First Responder programs, and enhance working relationships with communities’ emergency operations organizations to ensure a region-wide partnership exists.

“The health region is pleased to enter into this agreement with the Swift Current Ambulance Service and take advantage of their vast experience in providing a range of EMS services in the area,” said Gloria Illerbrun, Executive Director of Health Services with the Cypress Health Region. “We have had a tremendous working relationship with them in the past and we feel fortunate that we can enhance that relationship in the future.”

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to develop a cohesive, interdisciplinary, adaptive, accountable group built on respecting and appreciating all who work within EMS,” said Nelson Pompu, Swift Current Ambulance Service. “Our partnership will support and work closely with other professions within the Region’s health care communities, and we hope to achieve this through education, consultation and collaboration with all parties. We wish to express our appreciation to the Cypress Health Region for this opportunity to assist them in the delivery of its services”

Illerbrun further acknowledged the long-standing reputation of Swift Current Ambulance Service and the benefits that Pompu and Dyke would offer the EMS service. “The wide range of skills that Nelson and Bob have attained over their past EMS experiences will mesh nicely with our existing EMS health providers, and the result will be an enhanced service for our patients and clients.”

Nelson and Dyke will be actively involved from the beginning of the partnership and are hoping to transition into their new roles as soon as possible.

Construction Camera Launched for Swift Current Capital Project

Construction of the new Swift Current Long Term Care facility is underway and with the use of a webcam set up on the construction site, you can view the progress being made from the comfort of your home or on-the-go.

The webcam is available on the Cypress Health Region website and can be viewed 24-hours per day by visiting the Swift Current Long Term Care project page and scrolling down to the ‘Construction Camera’ link. The camera takes images every 15 minutes and allows visitors to zoom in on specific areas of the site. A special feature of the webcam provides the opportunity to see the progress from the beginning of the project using a ‘time lapse camera’ feature. Images can also be shared via social media channels with a click of a button.

Another feature of the dedicated webpage that visitors will enjoy is an animation video that was developed by the Plenary Health team. The video provides a video depiction of the conceptual design for the new long term care facility. It includes an a birds-eye view encompassing the entire building and a variety of images that show the main entrance, community centre, 10-bed house, standard resident room, 15-bed house, palliative care room, and many other locations within the facility.

“These two resources were made available on our website so that everyone has the ability to join in the excitement that is building for the new long term care facility,” said Brenda Schwan, Executive Director of Human Resources and Capital Project Lead for the Cypress Health Region. “The animation video offers a sneak peek at the conceptual design of the facility and helps to offer a visual look at the home-like atmosphere that will be emphasized throughout the building.”

Schwan also noted the benefits that the construction site webcam will offer to everyone – to those who live close by the construction site, and those who live farther away and don’t have the ability to stay in touch with the construction progress. “We have utilized a similar webcam with other capital projects within the region and have received numerous notes of appreciation from people who visit the site on a regular basis,” added Schwan. “With the rapid construction timeline that has been set for the project, the webcam will allow everyone to stay up to date with the efforts of our construction partners.”

The Swift Current Long Term Care capital project will consist of 225 long term care beds and will replace the existing three facilities which currently provide long term care services in the community of Swift Current. Anticipated completion of the project is scheduled for late spring of 2016.