REGINA QU'APPELLE HEALTH REGION RECEIVES FUNDING FOR CREATING A HEALTHY WORKPLACE

Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region has received $750,000 to spend on a project devoted to developing a high-quality, healthy work environment.

Saskatchewan Health is providing Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) $1.79 million in funding to spend on quality health workplace initiatives. This funding is designated for nine new projects in seven health regions, through a competitive process, with priority given to partnerships between one or more health regions and/or other health organizations. Projects focus on areas such as employee morale, job satisfaction, turnover rates, absenteeism and injury rates.

"This funding will help us continue to create quality workplaces, a key component of our retention and recruitment efforts, as outlined in our Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care," Health Minister John Nilson said.

Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region identified its priority for creating quality health workplaces. Its funding goes toward innovations in nurse retention and patient-centered care, and focuses on providing nurses with professional development opportunities. This, in turn, will help lead to higher job satisfaction, and reduced sick time and job turnover.

"We are very pleased to be participating in this unique partnership with the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) and the University Health Network (UHN)," Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region Vice President of Specialty Care Diane Larrivee said. "The research team at UHN is high calibre and we expect to learn much from the partnership."

"It is exciting to have this opportunity to apply what research tells us, and evaluate the outcomes for patients and for registered nurses in Saskatchewan," SUN President Rosalee Longmoore said. "Positive initiatives such as this are important as retention and recruitment strategies."

"We are extremely excited about our partnership with SUN and Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region," University Health Network Director of Nursing New Knowledge and Innovation Debra Bournes said. "Thus far, the results in Toronto have been phenomenal and we are confident they will be similar here."

Saskatchewan Health has distributed the funding from the $66 million pledged to the province at the 2004 First Ministers' Meeting, along with additional provincial funding.

Improving the work environment of health care professionals is one of a variety of initiatives aimed at retaining and recruiting key health professionals to Saskatchewan.

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For More Information, Contact:

Mark Torjusen Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region Regina Phone: (306) 766-5332