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Southeast represented on new authority

The southeast region will have a representative on the new Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) board, but it won’t be from Estevan. The Ministry of Health announced the members for the SHA on June 14.

The southeast region will have a representative on the new Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) board, but it won’t be from Estevan.

The Ministry of Health announced the members for the SHA on June 14. Marilyn Charlton, who resides in the Weyburn area and has been the chairperson of the Sun Country Regional Health Authority, was among the 10 members appointed to the new SHA.

Gary St. Onge, who is the lone Estevan representative for Sun Country’s board, was not named to the new authority.

The Sun Country Regional Health Authority will continue to oversee health-care in this part of the province until the new SHA takes effect, which is expected to happen this fall. The SHA will then be the only health authority for the entire province.

Charlton could not be reached for comment regarding the appointment.

As for St. Onge, he was appointed to the Sun Country board in 2012. He said he wasn’t looking to be part of the new SHA, and he was pleasantly surprised to see a southeast resident named to the new massive board.

“When you’re talking 10 people in the province, I was surprised to see we had someone,” said St. Onge. “That’s good, though, because there’s at least one person who’s tied in and knows what’s happening in the southeast.”

He’s not concerned that Estevan won’t be represented at the table of the new health board. St. Onge predicted the new authority won’t have much involvement in the day-to-day operations of local healthcare.

“I don’t think it’s going to make a lot of difference in the way our two entities right in Estevan, the Estevan Regional Nursing Home and St. Joseph’s Hospital, operate,” said St. Onge.

During his time on the authority, St. Onge said Charlton has been very fair to work with. He believes she will do a great job representing the region on the new board, and he views her as the most logical candidate from the present board to join the new authority.

While it has been about five months since the provincial government announced its plans to consolidate the current 14 health regions into one, he still views some uncertainty regarding healthcare.

“Who knows how this is going to operate?” said St. Onge. “We’re all guessing how exactly it will work. I’m going to look at it as a positive. I don’t think in the city of Estevan, our two entities will do any worse dealing directly with the provincial government than they were dealing with Sun Country.”

St. Onge said he has largely enjoyed his time with the Sun Country board. It has been frustrating at times, because of the costs associated with healthcare and the lack of money that has been available, especially in recent years.

“I’ve learned how things operate, but it’s been frustrating in the fact that you don’t always get everything you need,” said St. Onge. “I still think our hospital is underfunded.

“I don’t know how many other people think that in the province, but I know there are some discrepancies, because I know that Sunrise (Health Region), which is Yorkton-Melville area, has less people in their health region than we do, but they get something like $55 million more a year than ours has gotten in the past, so that has been frustrating.”

According to the Ministry of Health, the SHA was a high-profile opportunity and many people put their names forward for consideration. But it was also a targeted recruitment process seeking very specific expertise and skills to align with the advisory panel recommendation to appoint a balanced board.

They were looking for expertise in areas such as governance, performance and financial management, as well as the ability to represent patient experience and culture.

Informal discussions were held across the province with candidates who have the desired qualifications and expertise.

Health Minister Jim Reiter said in a news release that the board members come from a diverse range of professional backgrounds, including governance, accounting, medicine, law, education and business. In Charlton’s case, she is currently the general manager for the Saskatchewan Hereford Association.

Until the new SHA takes effect, the board will act in an advisory capacity to help guide the transition and prepare for operations. Board members will assist in reviewing and recommending potential candidates for chief executive officer.

The other members of the new SHA are R.W. (Dick) Carter of Regina, Grant Kook of Saskatoon, Brenda Abrametz of Prince Albert, Judy Davis of Regina, Robert Pletch of Regina, Donald Rae of Yorkton, Rosalena Smith of Pinehouse Lake, Dr. Janet Tootoosis of North Battleford and Tom Zurowski of Saskatoon.

Carter will be the chair and Kook will be the vice-chair.