NEW HEALTH CARE MODEL TO BENEFIT RURAL SASKATCHEWAN

Health System Leaders Learn About Nova Scotia Primary Health Care Innovation

Saskatchewan health system and community leaders are gathering information about a new model of care that improves patient access to health care services in rural and remote communities, with the goal of implementing it in the province.

A Knowledge Exchange Day today in Regina is exploring the benefits of Collaborative Emergency Centres (CECs), a Nova Scotia health care innovation that Saskatchewan is exploring. These centres help stabilize and improve access to primary health care and emergency services. A Nova Scotia delegation is sharing advice and its experiences developing CECs with regional health authority representatives, health care providers, health sector professional organizations, unions, and municipal and community stakeholders from across Saskatchewan.

The meeting will explore the CEC model from various perspectives, talk about the key success factors and identify the next steps for establishing CECs in Saskatchewan.

"We are committed to putting patients first," Rural and Remote Health Minister Randy Weekes said. "Improving access to health care in rural Saskatchewan is a priority for our government. We see the Nova Scotia model as an innovative way of meeting the needs of rural and remote communities by integrating primary and emergency health care."

In Nova Scotia, CECs are typically open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During the day, the centres offer access to primary health care by a team of professionals, including physicians and nurses. At night, the care is handled by a team that includes a registered nurse and a paramedic, with physician oversight. The centres offer a number of benefits including increased access to services, reduced wait times, same or next day appointments and a team-based approach that offers continuity of care.

The model aligns with Saskatchewan's recently announced initiative to strengthen primary health care. The Ministry of Health is now working with health regions and communities to determine critical factors for success and criteria around resources and identify locations for potential sites.

Nova Scotia has successfully implemented the CEC model in communities which have had difficulty maintaining 24-7 emergency services.

"Collaborative Emergency Centres are an innovative health care model that is working in Nova Scotia and we are pleased to share our experiences with the Province of Saskatchewan," Nova Scotia Health and Wellness Minister David Wilson said. "By bringing emergency departments and local family practices together to work as a team, we are delivering better care sooner to Nova Scotians. Patients served by CECs are able to see a nurse practitioner or physician either the same day or the next day, seven days a week."

The Nova Scotia model was endorsed in the first report of the Council of the Federation's Health Care Innovation Working Group, co-chaired by Premier Brad Wall and PEI Premier Robert Ghiz.

For more information on Primary Health Care in Saskatchewan visit the Ministry of Health website at http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/primary-health-care.

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For more information, contact:

Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca