More health services are going to be made available again as of Tuesday, June 16 as the Saskatchewan Health Authority announces Phase 2 in its plan to resume operations.
In Phase Two, surgical capacity will increase over the next few weeks to 65-70 per cent provincially, with the inclusion of urgent, emergent and also some elective procedures. This will vary significantly by site, as some locations like Yorkton Regional Health Centre are already up to 75 per cent of regular volumes as of June 10.
Medical imaging capacity will also continue to increase in Phase Two, targeting 90 per cent of pre-COVID-19 volumes across all services, including MRI and CT scans. Current service levels reached 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.
In all service areas, including surgical programs and medical imaging, new required COVID-related precautions around physical distancing, cohorting staff, personal protective equipment usage, and Infection Prevention and Control necessitate gradual service resumption.
“As we safely increase service levels, we are learning to do business in different ways that promote access to services for Saskatchewan residents while still ensuring safety and proper precautions against the spread of COVID-19,” SHA Chief Executive Officer Scott Livingstone said. “We know that this has meant some adjustments for patients and has resulted in longer waits and extra steps at times. We continue to express our gratitude to the public for their patience and understanding about the need to take these extra safety measures.”
Throughout the month of June, further service resumptions will continue at SHA operated specialty clinics, including such services as sleep disorder testing, cardiac stress testing, eye centre testing and operations, and additional cast clinics, with service levels varying by location and program.
Although June 16 is when many of these services may start, a critical part of SHA’s process is that every service re-introduced must undergo a rigourous process to confirm readiness and safety, including steps to ensure all appropriate COVID-related precautions are in place.
“As we increase the amount of people in our facilities, we need to be extra vigilant and monitor the impact on our health system,” Livingstone said. “In order to resume services while also continuing to support COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and other strategies to combat the virus, we need to move slowly and cautiously through this process.”
The information comes at the same time as the province releases new COVID-19 numbers,
There are two new cases to report on Wednesday. One is in the Saskatoon region and the other is in the South region bringing the provincial total to 658.
No new recoveries are being announced meaning the provincial total stands at 624. 21 cases remain active.
Breaking the amount of cases down by demographic, the province says 98 cases involve people under the age of 19; 233 are in the 20-39 age range; 199 are aged 40-59; 110 are in the 60-79 range while the amount of cases for those 80 and over are 18.
