Spiritwood Collaborative Emergency Centre inches closer to opening

“It’s kind of a difficult process because there’s so many factors involved in it, so it’s taken a little bit longer and we’re trying to work with the clinicians as closely as we can to make sure their online with that,” Berg said.

Right now, Berg said renovations to the new area for the primary health-care clinic are still underway, but those should be completed by mid-May with the hopes of opening the CEC around June 1. This is when the daytime model for urgent care will start up, which runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Berg said the evening model is targeted to open in September, “but I’m not sure that we will make that deadline. Again, it depends on hiring people and what we can do there.”

Currently, the PAPHR is finalizing the hiring process with registered nurses who will be on site, according to Berg. During the day, there will be 2.5 positions.

In the evening model, which runs 8 p.m. until 8 a.m., a paramedic from Spiritwood Ambulance and long-term care nurses are involved in this phase.

In the PAPHR board notes, it stated “The letter from the Ministry dated October 9, directs the funding to support additional paramedics, training and day time nursing. The total funded amount is $656,237 annualized and $232,000 for training and renovations.”

“It [CEC] is meant to allow more access for people who have sort of semi-urgent needs, kind of walk-in type of traffic,” she said. “It’s kind of … a trimmed down version of a hospital allowing some access.”

Although the Spiritwood area has primary care available, it is by appointment which only allows for a few walk-ins.

According to the Government of Saskatchewan’s website, CECs were introduced to address the challenges of providing health care in rural communities.

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84

by Sarah Stone

Spiritwood Collaborative Emergency Centre inches closer to opening

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