Premier Scott Moe and Health Minister Jim Reiter, along with officials from the City of Weyburn and Ministry of Health gathered with members of the Weyburn and District Hospital Foundation and the Saskatchewan Health Authority in a vacant field on Fifth Avenue North to unveil the location as the new site for a new integrated health care facility in Weyburn to replace Weyburn General Hospital.
The 35-bed facility will include a 10-bed inpatient mental health unit, and will be located between Fifth Street and Hamilton Street on a 20-acre parcel to be purchased from the City of Weyburn.
The site was selected after a detailed analysis of factors including land costs, zoning requirements and servicing. The province committed $2.5 million this year to advance work on the project, and it’s expected to go out for tender early in 2021.
“The new hospital will be a tremendous benefit to residents in southeast Saskatchewan,” Premier Scott Moe said. “People in the area have generously contributed to this project, and will soon have access to a modern new facility that brings a range of services together to provide coordinated, efficient care.”
The new hospital creates an integrated model of care, bringing together services which are currently in different locations around the city. Patients will be able to access services in one location, including acute care, primary health services and inpatient mental health care.
“This is a great day, a special day, for the City of Weyburn,” said Premier Moe, who pointed out that the local MLA, Dustin Duncan, reminded cabinet of the need for the new hospital “again and again and again and again”, as did the businesses and municipalities of the region.
He noted that the current hospital was built in 1952, the year that television first came to Canada, and has “done its duty”.
Patients will also benefit from modernized emergency services, as the emergency medical services (EMS) will be relocated to the new hospital, so that when a patient needs a transfer to a higher level of service, staff are close by, plus a helipad for the STARS air ambulance will be built on the site.
Planning is now proceeding on services, functionality and design, with community partners engaged as part of the process.
Asked if obstetrics will be part of the services, Duncan said there will be one bed which can be used for delivery of babies at the hospital, if there is sufficient trained staff available for it. He pointed out this was part of the issue when the maternity ward closed in the Weyburn General, and it will be up to local physicians and nurses to determine if the maternity services can be available here once more.
“The Weyburn and District Hospital Foundation is very happy to witness this vital step in the building of a new hospital to serve Weyburn and area,” Weyburn and District Hospital Foundation Board Chair Jeff Hayward said. “Thanks to the encouragement of many visionaries as far back as 1995, community backing for this facility has been strong. Support from the City of Weyburn, surrounding Rural Municipalities, towns and villages, corporate partners, taxpayers, event sponsors, volunteers, attendees and countless individual donors has resulted in cash and commitments for this project in excess of $23 million. We are honoured to have supported the efforts of so many to reach this milestone and are excited to continue working toward achieving the vision of building a modern facility with state-of-the-art equipment to serve the residents of Weyburn and the surrounding area.”
Duncan noted that the first chairman of the Hospital Foundation and his vice-chair, Kim Thorson and Bill Holliday, were both present for this announcement, as was the last CEO of the South Central Health District, Marga Cugnet.
“This announcement is a great milestone and one that our community and businesses have long supported and have looked forward to for many years,” Weyburn Mayor Marcel Roy said. “I thank the residents of Weyburn and the surrounding Rural Municipalities for their support and financial commitment, as well as the Weyburn Hospital Foundation for their hard work and efforts. The City of Weyburn greatly appreciates the investment from the provincial government and is excited about the building of a new hospital.”
“The Saskatchewan Health Authority is proud to be working with the Government of Saskatchewan and the community to bring this new facility to life,” Saskatchewan Health Authority Executive Director of Infrastructure Management Derek Miller said. “We are certain that the range of healthcare services that will be offered in the new Weyburn Hospital will meet the needs of the community and surrounding area. We are excited to move forward with planning for the overall design of a new integrated facility.”
See the Weyburn Review on Sept. 9 for more details and comments on this major announcement.
