Tag Archives: Wolf Willow Health Centre

Alert, Featured

Outbreak Rescinded – Wolf Willow Health Centre – Eastend

Update: September 29 at 11:50am

Please be advised that the outbreak at the Wolf Willow Health Centre in Eastend has been rescinded and visitation at the facility may now resume.

We would like to thank the general public for adhering to the visitation restrictions during the outbreak.  Thanks is also extended to staff and public health/inspection control teams for their diligence in working to rescind the outbreak as quickly as possible.

While visitation has now resumed, enteric and other illnesses continue to circulate in our communities.  Frequent and proper handwashing are very important to eliminate the spreading of illnesses.  In particular we ask anyone visiting a health facility to please wash your hands thoroughly prior to leaving your home and wash your hands again upon entering the facility.  If you are feeling ill, please stay home until you are feeling well.

Update: September 27 at 9:30am

The outbreak continues.  There are currently three residents with signs and symptoms of the illness.  The specific illness type remains unknown.  Visitation restrictions continue to be in place. See original post below for complete details.

Original post: September 25 at 4:30pm

Under the guidance of Medical Health Officer Dr. David Torr, an outbreak has been declared at the Wolf Willow Health Centre in Eastend due to the presence of enteric illness signs and symptoms amongst the facilities residents.

Gastroenteritis (enteric illness) means inflammation of the stomach and both small and large intestines. Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses that result in vomiting or diarrhea. It is often called the “stomach flu”, although the influenza viruses do not cause gastroenteritis.

Many different viruses can cause gastroenteritis, including rotaviruses, noroviruses, adenoviruses and enteroviruses.

Read more about Viral Gastroenteritis.

Due to this declaration, please consider the following:

  • Until further notice, visitation to the facility will be restricted.  The only exceptions to these restrictions will be in the event of an ‘end of life’ situation, where the nurse in charge at the facility can be contacted to discuss the options that are available for family members to visit their loved one.
  • This outbreak has been declared due to the presence of an unconfirmed enteric illness.  Samples will be collected and sent to the Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory in Regina for analysis and confirmation of the illness type.
  • Presently, there are four long term care residents within the facility who have been identified as meeting the signs and symptoms of this illness.
  • Enhanced cleaning and infection control protocols have been implemented within the facility in an attempt to remove the illness.

Public Health and Infection Control Team members are actively involved and are providing guidance into the ongoing steps being taken to eradicate the illness.  The health region is strongly emphasizing that everyone do what they can to prevent the spread of illness/sickness to others.  Frequent and proper handwashing, staying home when ill, and enhanced cleaning of hard surfaces within your homes/businesses should always be the normal practice.

Read more about outbreaks and why they are declared.

News Release

Local Nurse Practitioner Hired for Eastend and Shaunavon

The Cypress Health Region’s Primary Health Care (PHC) program is pleased to welcome Chet McCuaig into its Nurse Practitioner team. McCuaig will be working as a full time Nurse Practitioner sharing time in the communities of Shaunavon and Eastend.

“We are very excited to welcome Chet back into our Cypress Health team. Chet is a well-known face in and around the southwest as well as to our existing PHC team. He comes with an impressive reputation behind his work and we’re looking forward to our patients benefitting from his arrival,” commented Peggi Holmes, Manager of Primary Health Care services for the Cypress Health Region.

McCuaig graduated as a Registered Nurse in 2007 and worked for the Cypress Health Region in various roles from January 2008 to December 2012. He completed his Nurse Practitioner (NP) training in 2012 following a preceptorship in Maple Creek where he worked under the guidance of fellow NP Dawn Kalinowski. He was then hired as a NP in Nipawin where he has worked since 2012.

“It’s very exciting to be back in the Cypress Health Region and to be able to provide a much needed service to the communities of Eastend and Shaunavon. The Wolf Willow Health Centre in Eastend has a reputation for providing excellent care to its residents and community members and I intend to uphold that reputation wholeheartedly. I’m really looking forward to working with Dr. Wasko and all of the staff and clients in these communities. It’s truly great to be home,” said McCuaig.

He is expected to begin his employment with the region in mid to late September though exact dates are still being determined.

Nurse Practitioners (NP) are registered nurses with enhanced knowledge and skills gained through additional education and clinical practice. As a member of the PHC team, the NP can complete physical exams, diagnose and treat minor and uncomplicated health issues and chronic health conditions, conduct routine physicals, prescribe some medications, order some laboratory tests and x-rays, make referrals to other health providers, assist patients in developing a personal plan to improve one’s health, and is involved with education and health programming in the community.

To schedule a medical appointment with a nurse practitioner or physician at any of the region’s primary health care clinics please call ahead to secure a date and time. In the great majority of cases, an appointment can usually be secured on the same or next clinic day with one of the clinic’s health providers. Patients are reminded to schedule appointments for non-urgent medical needs as doing so alleviates unnecessary emergency room wait times for those facing true medical emergencies.

News Release

Cypress Health Enhances Nurse Practitioner Services

The Cypress Health Region’s Primary Health Care (PHC) program is pleased to welcome Shelley Wilson to the Nurse Practitioner team. Shelley will be joining the primary health care teams in Eastend and Shaunavon and will begin seeing patients on Tuesday, February 24th.

Wilson will be joining the PHC clinic’s physicians and other team members at Eastend’s Wolf Willow Health Centre and the Shaunavon Hospital & Care Centre to provide a wide continuum of primary health care services. She will spend Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in Eastend and Wednesday/Friday in Shaunavon.

“The addition of another nurse practitioner further solidifies our primary health care teams in Eastend and Shaunavon,” stated Greg Grant, Director of Primary Health Care for Cypress Health. “We are pleased that all of our permanent and casual NP positions are filled and we are not facing any vacancies among these staff positions at our primary health care sites.”

Nurse Practitioners (NP) are registered nurses with enhanced knowledge and skills gained through additional education and clinical practice. As a member of the PHC team, the NP can complete physical exams, diagnose and treat minor and uncomplicated health issues and chronic health conditions, conduct routine physicals, prescribe some medications, order some laboratory tests and x-rays, make referrals to other health providers, assists patients in developing a personal plan to improve one’s health, and is involved with education and health programming in the community.

With the addition of another NP to the Eastend and Shaunavon teams, NP services in Leader, Maple Creek, and Ponteix will be enhanced as well. NP Erin Roberts will be assigned as a full-time member to the Maple Creek primary health care team as of March 9th. She will join her fellow NP Dawn Kalinowski and physician team in providing primary health medical services at the clinic located at 202 Maple Street. Roberts will also provide some vacation coverage to the Leader Primary Health Care site, while Wilson will provide vacation coverage for the Ponteix site.

To schedule a medical appointment with a nurse practitioner or physician at any of the region’s primary health care clinics, please call ahead to secure a date and time. In the great majority of cases, an appointment can usually be secured on the same or next clinic day with one of the clinic’s health providers. Patients are reminded to schedule appointments for non-urgent medical needs. Doing so alleviates unnecessary emergency room wait times for those facing true medical emergencies.

The Cypress Health Region now has a total of eight nurse practitioners providing services in Vanguard, Ponteix, Hodgeville, Mankota, Leader, Maple Creek, Shaunavon, and Eastend.