Province to build new urgent care medical centres in Saskatoon, Regina
Centres designed to divert more patients away from emergency departments
Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health has announced plans to open two new medical centres for non-life threatening injuries.
On Monday, the province announced it would spend $30 million to build new urgent care centres in Saskatoon and Regina.
The centres will help people with non-life threatening injuries — everything from broken bones and minor stitches to addictions and mental health supports.
The province hopes the care centres will divert people away from hospitals.
"There are times when our emergency rooms are very busy," said Premier Scott Moe.
"And they are busy, in part, because there are patients who might be better off seeking treatment in another environment."
According to Moe, trips to the emergency rooms continue to rise. For example, ER visits increased by four per cent in Saskatoon from 2015 to 2019.
The health care centres will be staffed by a wide range of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses and mental health workers.
Scott Livingstone, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said he hopes the two new centres will cut down on wait times for more critical procedures.
"Patients will have access to a wide range of services to help them get the urgent care they need, both effectively and efficiently," he said.
Many details, including the number of staff and number of spaces for patients, still need to be worked out by officials.
The precise location of the two centres will also need to be worked out, although it appears they will be built close to St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon and Pasqua Hospital in Regina.
"It wouldn't be unusual for us to look at the possible hospital site and in that area because that's where we see lots of traffic," said Livingstone.
"This area of the city would be a good place for a facility like that, but it would be a facility that would serve all residents of the province."
The cost of the building will come out of the province's $7.5-billion COVID-19 economic recovery stimulus plan.
Construction on both centres is expected to start in 2022.