SHA doesn’t anticipate further disruptions at SEICC

January 21, 2020, 1:34 am
Kevin Weedmark

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is not anticipating any more service disruptions at Moosomin’s Southeast Integrated Care Centre.

The Emergency Room at the Southeast Integrated Care Centre was closed for three days in December and again Thursday.

Leah Clement, Director of Primary Health Care, said she does not anticipate additional service disruptions.

“At this point, I don’t anticipate any other service disruption,” she said Friday. “We do have some SIPPA candidates, but we’re waiting on their licenture with the College of Physicians and Surgeons. There have been some of SIPPA doctors allocated to Moosomin, and we do have Dr. Jayeoba, who is more of a long-term locum (who is in Moosomin already). She is doing some of that coverage.

“Since October we’ve had a number of locums who have come to us and have provided some ER coverage, some clinic coverage in support of the Moosomin physicians.

“As we get to a full complement of physicians there shouldn’t be any service disruptions. We are really trying to support the physicians and their work-life balance.

“The Moosomin Family Practice develops the call roster inclusive of the primary care physicians who are contracted with the SHA. We work with them to provide the call coverage at Southeast Integrated Care Centre. We do have a bit of advance notice (when a gap in coverage is anticipated) and we do work really hard to meet the needs of having physicians on call.”

She said in the instances of service disruptions “we have just been left in the position where there is no one. The two most recent in the last few weeks, we have reached out to the physician colleagues in the southeast area of integrated rural health of the SHA, and we have reached out to the SMA for a locum and we just have not had the coverage.”

When there have been service disruptions, the Emergency Room is closed. “It only affects the ER,” Clement said. “We notify EMS about the service disruption. There is a provincial service disruption process and we notify them. EMS is made aware. When we are on service disruption they would not (transport patients to the ER). EMS is still available in the community, they just divert to a different location for emergency department services.”