Released on July 12, 2013
Confirms Commitment for New Facility
The Government of Saskatchewan today congratulated former and present staff of the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford (SHNB) on marking 100 years of providing mental health services in Saskatchewan.
Local residents, patients, families and staff are celebrating SHNB’s centennial with a three-day event, July 12 to 14, including a reunion of former and current employees of the hospital.
“I applaud the efforts of SHNB staff, past and present, on a century of caring for mental health patients and their dedication to improve the quality of life for those most vulnerable,” Minister Responsible for Health Dustin Duncan said. “As we celebrate the past, we also look forward to the future. Our government is firmly committed to the SHNB renewal project, to build a modern facility that will provide a more efficient environment for therapy and recovery.”
The Prairie North Health Region has commenced its Lean 3P work involving patients, families, staff and the Ministry of Corrections and Policing to ensure the new hospital will allow health providers to best serve patients, both from a design and programming standpoint.
Through an earlier planning process, it was identified that the SHNB replacement project has a significant impact on two existing correctional facilities on the grounds and share some services with SHNB. One facility serving youth is physically attached to the hospital.
SaskBuilds, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Corrections and Policing are working together to explore the potential benefits of a joint public-private partnership to build two new facilities – a mental health hospital and an integrated corrections facility.
“We owe it to the patients and families who will be served at the new hospital to get this right,” Duncan said. “The time we spend on planning at the front end will mean a more efficient process once construction begins, and to ensure we are building a facility that will best meet the needs of the people we serve now and into the future.”
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For more information, contact:
Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-537-3594