PROVINCE HELPS SASKATOON HEALTH REGION COVER COSTS OF MEETING HIGH DEMAND FOR SERVICES

The Government of Saskatchewan is providing Saskatoon Health Region with an additional $3.7 million to cover service expansions that responded to extraordinary acute care service pressures this fiscal year.

The funding is in addition to $663.6 million allocated from the Ministry of Health for the health region's 2008-09 operating budget.

Saskatoon Health Region added beds for ventilator-dependent patients at St. Paul's Hospital to relieve pressure for critical care beds, which continue to be in high demand. The Royal University Hospital (RUH) increased its adult critical care capacity with more intensive care beds. In addition to renovations to the inpatient cancer care unit at RUH, some staffing changes were made to improve care for patients receiving stem-cell transplants and other cancer treatments.

"The health region's response to increased demand has made a difference in the lives of everyone who could get treatment sooner and closer to home," Saskatoon Sutherland MLA Joceline Schriemer said. "The provincial government values the region's efforts to adapt to increased demand and the changing needs of patients."

"The acute care demands are many and the financial resources to accommodate these demands are limited," Saskatoon Regional Health Authority board chair Jim Rhode said. "The Saskatoon Health Region is pleased to see that the Ministry understands these pressures and is helping the Region ease the pressure on delivering acute care services."

Saskatoon Health Region serves the 290,000 residents of the area and others needing specialized or provincial services. More than 12,000 health region staff and 834 physicians, supported by an estimated 8,000 volunteers, provide comprehensive health services. The organization also facilitates research and education, in partnership with several post-secondary educational institutions.

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For more information, contact:

Karen Hill
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4088

James Winkel
Saskatoon Health Region
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-655-3253