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Weyburn Review, Weyburn, Saskatchewan -- June 17, 2020
SHA announces increase for surgical and imaging volume By Jordan Stricker, Local Journalism Initiative The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced Wednesday they will enter phase three of their reopening plan, which includes increasing surgical and imaging volumes, which began on June 16. When the SHA’s phase three takes place, surgical capacity will increase to 65-70 per cent provincially with inclusion of urgent, emergent and some elective procedures. According to the SHA, this will vary “significantly” by site. Medical imaging capacity will also increase in phase two, with a target of 90 per cent of preCOVID-19 volumes across all services including MRI and CT scans. The SHA said current service levels in phase one for MRIs and CT scans are up to 83 per cent from approximately 50 per cent at the start of phase one. SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said new required COVID-19 related precautions will be implemented around physical distancing, cohorting staff, personal protective equipment usage, and infection prevention and control. “We know that this has made for adjustments for patients and often results in longer waits and additional steps during the care process,” said Livingstone. “We continue to express our gratitude to the public for their patience and understanding about the need to take these extra safety measures as we reopen our healthcare system,” he added. Livingstone said the public should know that some of the changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in improvements that the SHA believes will carry
on and help transform the Saskatchewan healthcare system. One aspect Livingstone mentioned was the virtual care opportunities. He said since the start of COVID-19 in the province, 122,000 appointments have been delivered through virtual care. “This is an enormous number in a very short period of time,” said Livingstone. “It has helped mitigate some of our situation, but are also services that would have been stopped,” he added. Health Minister Jim Reiter said during the press conference the province is continuing on with their plans for field hospitals in Regina and Saskatoon. “It’s now nearing the point where if needed, work could be triggered quickly to make these field hospitals operational,” said Reiter. “We hope we never have to use them, but these facilities will in effect be our insurance policy allowing us to effectively treat COVID-19 patients without having to again scale back surgeries and other important health services,” he added. Reiter also said Saskatchewan residents deserve a health care system that is responsive to all their needs, while at the same time knowing their health system is well prepared to respond to the threat of COVID-19. Livingstone said the SHA estimates the cost of the field hospitals could be in the range of about $8 million for both facilities. “The philosophy we used when creating the context around field hospitals is the equipment that would be used is the same type of equipment that would be used in a normal hospital,” said Livingstone.
Sprucing up the ball diamonds
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Review Photo 6257 — Greg Nikkel
Volunteers worked on sprucing up the ball diamonds in Jubilee Park on Friday evening and on Saturday, as they got the facilities ready in anticipation of a date to be announced soon when ball teams can start training. Ball, soccer and other outdoor team sports are expected to be part of Phase 4 of Re-Open Saskatchewan, and dates are going to be announced this week when it will take effect.
Weyburn couple wins $250,000 in lottery Wey bu r n ’s C o l e t t e Katschke and John Klassen are basking in a $250,000 windfall after picking up a winning Crossword Deluxe Zing ticket in May. The couple regularly play Zing (Scratch n’ Win), usually picking up Cross-
word or Lucky Lines tickets. They picked up their winning ticket at M.D. Convenience, at 33 Third Street NE in Weyburn, and were shocked to take home the ticket’s top prize. “I thought I had won $10,000, and of course John wanted to scan it
on the app right away,” Katschke recalled with a laugh. “That’s when we saw it was $250,000!” The couple isn’t sure yet what they’ll do with the money, but are batting around a few ideas – home renovations, helping out their kids, and maybe
eventually travelling to Canada’s east coast. Sask Lotteries is the fundraiser for more than 12,000 sport, culture, recreation and community groups. Learn about games, jackpots, winning numbers, and more, at sasklotteries.ca.