North Dakota/Saskatchewan | Premier, Governor and Senator discuss Souris flood plan
Saskatoon | 3 Feb 2012
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall welcomed North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple and United States Senator John Hoeven for discussions on the preparation for spring runoff of the Souris River.
“We owe it to all the people throughout the Souris River Basin to meet their needs for short-term and long-term flood protection,” Dalrymple said. “Our on-going work has been productive and officials from both sides of the international border are committed to effective flood protection.”
“Over the last few months, Saskatchewan officials have worked closely with representatives from the United States and North Dakota,” Wall said. “It is important to us to be good neighbours and we will soon complete a plan to protect against the kind of flooding seen last year. We have already lowered levels at the Rafferty and Alameda Reservoirs in preparation for spring run off, and we will lower them further, if necessary.”
“Our biggest concern as spring approaches is to make sure all parties involved in use and management of the Souris River are co-ordinating closely to ensure there is ample storage in the reservoirs for both spring melt and summer rains,” Hoeven said. “That process is well underway, and so far Mother Nature is co-operating as well. We are also working closely with Premier Wall, his technical experts and the U.S. and Canadian governments to address changes in the International Agreement that are needed to improve flood management long term.”
Last year was by far the worst year on record for flooding on the Souris River. Heavy rains in June caused unprecedented flooding, far beyond the storage capacity of Saskatchewan’s reservoirs.
Saskatchewan | Health Region acts on OH&S report on CO exposure at St Mary’s Villa
Saskatoon | 10 Jan 2012
Saskatoon Health Region has received the occupational health officer report into the carbon monoxide exposure at St. Mary’s Villa Dust Wing in December 2010. The report was issued by the Ministry of Labour in late December 2011 and staff and management of the Region have been reviewing it since then.
The report from the Department of Labour cites six contraventions of Occupational Health and Safety regulations. Many of the contraventions and the findings of the report have already been addressed by the Region in the days and months following the CO exposure. “We didn’t wait for the report to act,” says Nilesh Kavia, Vice President of Finance and Administration for Saskatoon Health Region. “We immediately began taking steps to address the concerns over ventilation and equipment at St. Mary’s Villa when the incident took place.”
Saskatoon Health Region has already begun replacing the boilers and ventilation system at St. Mary’s Villa. The Region has also installed CO detectors at all Region facilities to aid in preventing a similar situation occurring again.
“Our maintenance staff will be properly trained in the use and maintenance of the new equipment by the manufacturer,” adds Kavia. “An outside agency has already inspected all boilers and ventilation systems in all rural Saskatoon Health Region owned and operated facilities, including St. Mary’s Villa. We are considering a service contract or training our own staff to continue these inspections on an ongoing basis.”
“We have increased our education and training opportunities for staff and supervisors to ensure they are familiar with safety processes,” says Bonnie Blakley, Vice President of People Strategies.
The Region has already completed significant revisions to its “code brown” (hazardous material) procedures and continues to consult with the Department of Labour and others to ensure the revisions are acceptable. There are also revisions being considered for the Region’s “code green” (evacuation) processes. All rural facilities will be completing a CO exercise by March 2012. A consistent format to conduct the exercise has been developed and some rural facilities have already completed the CO exercise.
“We want to acknowledge that this has been an extremely difficult time for our residents, their families and our staff. We cannot forget the tragedy of that day in December 2010, but we also want to take our learnings and ensure nothing like this ever happens in the future,” says Blakley.
The full report of the Occupational Health Officer is available at http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/documents/011012_OHS_CO_Report.pdf.
Saskatchewan | Wynyard and Wadena alternating ED schedule working well
Wynyard | An unfortunate situation initiated the project, but the alternating emergency department schedule at Wynyard and Wadena hospitals has been working well since it began in fall 2011.
At the end of September, one of three physicians in Wynyard left the community. The remaining two physicians expressed concern that they would be unable to fulfill on-call duties for the emergency department. Those physicians and two doctors in nearby Wadena came together to create an innovative solution to the problem. They have since been sharing on-call responsibilities for the two hospitals on an alternating schedule.
Residents have faced challenges in trying to remember which emergency department is open at which time, so the Health Region uses multiple channels to provide this information. “We have published the dates in newspapers in both communities,” says Shan Landry, Vice President Community Services. “On two occasions, we have sent flyers in the mail to every address and post office box in the two towns as well as outlaying communities and businesses. We have set up a toll-free number which is updated each week with information on the emergency department schedule. We have really tried to keep the community informed.”
In the meantime, discussions with doctors who may be recruited to Wadena and Wynyard continue. “We have been speaking to physicians from around the world,” adds Landry. “We hope to have some positive news for the communities as early as March. However, we don’t have any confirmed recruits yet and don’t want to raise expectations. Until we have a doctor signed up and on his or her way, we can’t say that someone is definitely scheduled to begin work.”
Residents have exceeded expectations for using the emergency departments judiciously, coming in for emergencies rather than for primary health care. Individuals are reminded to call 911 in an emergency. For other health concerns, please continue to see your family physician or call the provincial HealthLine at 1-877-800-0002.
To see the latest emergency department schedule, consult Saskatoon Health Region’s website www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca or call our toll-free information number at 1-855-252-3416 for regular updates on the emergency department schedule.
Saskatchewan | First of its kind in Canada – Neonatal ambulance ready to serve southern Saskatchewan
Regina | The Hospitals of Regina Foundation (HRF) and the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR) unveiled a fully customized, state-of-the-art neonatal ambulance which was made possible by a $350,000 donation in the spring from PotashCorp. Southern Saskatchewan can now offer rapid, specialized care to the province’s youngest patients. The new ambulance was proudly displayed this afternoon at Emergency Medical Services’ (EMS’) Central Operations.
“At PotashCorp, we understand that access to healthcare is important to people across Saskatchewan, particularly those with small children and infants who need medical attention,” said Bill Doyle, President & CEO of PotashCorp. “We hope that our investment in this new ambulance will help those living in rural, remote and First Nations communities rest a little easier, knowing that their children will receive the care they need when they need it.”
Each year, the RQHR’s neonatal transport team carries 60 to 70 at-risk babies to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Regina General Hospital from communities across southern Saskatchewan. After 17 years of service, the previous neonatal ambulance had reached the end of its life expectancy. The new neonatal ambulance will have the capacity to carry two transport incubators, unlike the previous vehicle. Also, a built-in generator will provide emergency auxiliary power in the event of electrical failure; a hydraulic lift will assist paramedics in safely moving patients in and out of ambulance; and a quad-cab medium-duty chassis will help the ambulance be better equipped for winter travel.
“This state-of-the-art ambulance will enable us to provide the best possible care and improve outcomes for these tiny patients,” said Ken Luciak, Director, EMS. “We very much appreciate the donation from PotashCorp.”
“This ambulance is a gift that will keep on giving for a projected 20 years, by providing quality healthcare to newborn babies with complications,” commented Judy Davis, CEO, HRF. “This ambulance wouldn’t have been possible without the major support from PotashCorp. We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such an enthusiastic corporate partner.”
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation is a non-profit organization, guided by a volunteer Board of Directors. They are the only organization raising funds for southern Saskatchewan’s specialized care hospitals – the Regina General Hospital, the Pasqua Hospital and the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre. Since 1987, the Foundation has raised over $110 million to enhance healthcare.
The Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region is a provincial and community provider of a full range of safe, quality health services, education and research that inspires public confidence. We achieve success in meeting the diverse health needs of our communities through the strength of our people, partnerships and personal responsibilities for health.
Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, PotashCorp is the world’s largest fertilizer company by capacity, producing the three primary crop nutrients – potash, phosphate and nitrogen. With five potash operations in Saskatchewan, and one in New Brunswick, it is responsible for about 20 percent of global capacity and is the world’s leading potash producer. Its operations and business interests span seven countries, making PotashCorp an international enterprise and a key player in meeting the growing challenge of feeding the world.
SK | Health officials urging measles immunizations
Saskatoon SK | Health officials are strongly encouraging Saskatchewan residents to ensure their measles immunizations are up-to-date as two more cases of measles have recently been confirmed in Regina. There have been six cases of measles so far in Saskatchewan in 2011, all in Regina. Two cases were in unimmunized children under the age of five years, two were in unimmunized young adults, and two were in middle age adults who may have received one dose of measles vaccine in childhood.
Measles cases are usually very rare in Canada, but they do occur. Currently there is a measles outbreak in Quebec, while United States, Europe and Australia are also seeing an increase in measles cases.
Measles is a viral infection that can spread easily from person to person through coughing or sneezing (airborne), as well as indirect contact with contaminated articles.
“Because measles is a serious illness and so infectious, we are urging parents in Saskatchewan to ensure that their children are up-to-date with their immunizations,” Saskatchewan Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said. “All children in Saskatchewan 18 years and under should have received two doses of a measles containing vaccine – MR (Measles, Rubella) or MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella).”
Most adults should be immune after having received the vaccine or having had the disease. Persons born in 1970 or before are considered to have naturally acquired immunity.
Persons who have contracted measles usually have the following symptoms:
- fever (38.3 C or greater);
- cough;
- spots in the mouth appearing 1-2 days before the rash;
- a red blotchy rash appearing on days 3-5 and usually lasting for 4-7 days;
- runny nose; and
- redness of the eyes and inner eyelids and/or light sensitivity.
Symptoms usually occur within 8 to 12 days after exposure but this time frame can range from 7 to 21 days post exposure. Measles is highly contagious from about 1-2 days before the appearance of the rash until about 4 days after.
If a person develops the symptoms listed above they should:
- See their physician, who may order blood and urine testing as well as a nasopharyngeal or throat swab.
- Inform physician’s office that they may have been exposed to measles to ensure they will not be sitting for a long period in the waiting room where they could infect others.
For more information on immunizations residents can contact their local public health office, physician or regional health authority. Information on measles and immunizations are also available through HealthLine at 1-877-800-0002 and on the Ministry of Health website www.health.gov.sk.ca.
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