SASKATCHEWAN — Several emergency rooms at health facilities in the province are or will be affected by service disruptions, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority's 9 a.m. update for Aug. 1.
The new disruptions for the morning of Aug. 1 are at the Maidstone Health Complex from 8 a.m. to noon, and the Radville Marian Health Centre from 7 a.m. on Aug. 1 to 8 a.m. on Aug. 4.
The SHA has also announced some emergency room service disruptions for later on Aug. 1 and the August long weekend, including the Biggar and District Health Centre from 8 p.m.-11:59 p.m. on Aug. 1, the Maidston Health Complex from 8 a.m.-noon on Aug. 2; St. Peter's Hospital in Melville from 7 a.m. on Aug. 2 to 7 a.m. the following day; the Porcupine Caragana Hospital in Porcupine Plain from 8 p.m.-11:59 p.m. on Aug. 1, and the Wadena Integrated Hospital on Aug. 1 from 4 p.m.-11:59 p.m. and Aug. 2 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Among the longer-standing outages, the Kamsack Hospital and District Nursing Home's emergency room has been open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. only, since Jan. 24; the Wolseley Memorial Integrated Care Centre's emergency room has been open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. only, since Nov. 21, 2024; and the Wilkie and District Health Complex's emergency room has been closed since Nov. 1, 2023.
"The SHA makes every effort to maintain emergency services by securing staff and physician coverage wherever possible," the SHA said on the service disruptions webpage. "Temporary disruptions are only implemented as a last resort and may be caused by staff or physician vacancies, unplanned absences, scheduled vacations, or facility and equipment upgrades.
"As changes to service availability can occur on short notice, not all disruptions may appear immediately. When this happens, signage is posted at the affected facility, and the information will be reflected in the next scheduled update."
Patients and families are encouraged to call Healthline 811 toll free, 24 hours a day, for advice regarding service availability or to access health guidance from registered nurses and other qualified health professionals.
SaskToday will have updates as they become available.
