Sun Country News

Put Life Back in Your Life

Live Well™ is a self-management program available in Sun Country Health Region for people who are living with or caring for someone with a chronic illness, including but not limited to diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, chronic pain, kidney disease, stroke, asthma and depression.

This community-based program is led by trained peer leaders, many who have chronic conditions themselves and can model healthy lifestyle choices.

Topics covered in the program include effective communication strategies for loved ones and health professionals, dealing with difficult emotions, goal setting and action plans, medications, nutrition and physical activity.

Since SCHR started offering the Live Well™ program in 2008, our team of Peer Leaders have offered 15 sessions to 125 participants across eight different communities. The free of charge, six-week program was offered this fall in Kipling, Weyburn and Carlyle.

Keep your eyes peeled for the Saskatchewan government’s bright green and orange posters and brochures. If you are interested in learning more about the program, becoming a Peer Leader or to register for future sessions please contact (306) 842-8711.

More people receive flu shot this year

More people have received a flu shot in Sun Country Health Region (SCHR) this fall than last year. Almost 8,400 people have been immunized at the public clinics in this Region this year, compared to just over 8,200 at the same time last year.

SCHR strongly recommends seasonal influenza vaccine for everyone. Individuals who will benefit most from influenza immunization include:
- Adults 65 years of age and older
- People with chronic health conditions or severe obesity
- Pregnant women (during any trimester)
- Residents of nursing homes or other care facilities
- Children from 6 months of age to 23 months of age

Dr. Shauna Hudson, Medical Health Officer for SCHR says “we also want to protect the family members and contacts of the individuals listed above so they don’t spread influenza to the people most at risk for complications.”

Influenza vaccine will be provided up to February 29, 2012 to children who are 6 months to under 9 years of age at the time of immunization. For those children, aged 6 months to under 9 years of age receiving their first influenza immunization, a second dose is required one month later and this will be available until March 31, 2012.

To make an appointment for a flu shot for you or your child, call your local public health office at: Weyburn Public Health – 842-8618
Carlyle Public Health   -  453-6131
Redvers Health Centre –  452-3464
Coronach residents call   869-2555
Oxbow Public Health  –   483-2313
Kipling Public Health  –  736-2522
Radville Public Health –  869-2555
Estevan Public Health –   637-3626

Students discuss the mentoring experience

Sixteen high school students from around Sun Country Health Region gathered in Weyburn on Dec. 8 after completing the fourth part of their mentorship experience with the Pre-Health Professional Club. 

They were there to celebrate and discuss the mentoring experience.

Christel Gee, Coordinator of the Club for the University of Saskatchewan; along with Marga Cugnet, Interim CEO; Stella Swertz, Education Coordinator; Arlene Hand, Recruitment Assistant; Kim Balog, Mentorship Coordinator, all with Sun Country Health Region; Moira Grayson and Pat Ferguson, South East Cornerstone School Division’s Career Development Department, attended the event.

The Pre-Health Professional Club provides an opportunity for high school students to observe the work of a physician/nurse/pharmacist/dietitian or physical therapist in a health practical setting. It is intended to help encourage the students to enter a health care field after high school.

New service offered

Sun Country Health Region’s Therapy Department in Estevan is pleased to announce the implementation of a Women’s Health program to treat bladder control problems. As many  as 50 per cent of women will experience some kind of bladder control problems in their life time. For an appointment, please call 637-2410.
Bladder training and pelvic floor exercises were being offered in early December.

Don’t forget your health card!

Please remember to bring your Saskatchewan Health Card, or out-of-province health card, with you each time you come to a Sun Country Health Region facility for treatment.
All Canadian residents are required to show their health card so that we can determine if you have valid health care coverage.  Please remember to put your renewal stickers on your health card. The expiry date for existing Saskatchewan health cards is December 31, 2011.
Sun Country Health Region must verify that you are a Saskatchewan or out-of-province resident entitled to health coverage or you may be charged for the visit.
If you need a new card, go to http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/heath-card-apply-online-common-questions.  

Telehealth continues to expand

The Telehealth department of Sun Country Health Region (SCHR) is replacing older equipment with standardized sets to make it easier for staff and members of the public to use.
The goal is to have enough similarities in the equipment so that individuals can attend any Telehealth site in the Region and be familiar with the equipment.
SCHR has a total of 16 Telehealth sites spread strategically across the Region so no one needs to travel more than 30 minutes to a site.
The sites are located at:
Arcola Health Centre
Bengough Health Centre
Coronach Health Centre
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Estevan - 3 sites
Fillmore Health Centre
GallowayHealth Centre, Oxbow
Radville Marian Health Centre
Redvers Health Centre
Wawota Memorial Health Centre
Weyburn Community Health Services Building
Weyburn General Hospital
Kipling Health Centre
Tatagwa View, Weyburn
Gainsborough Health Centre
To book an event or inquire about the service, call Mary Deren at 842-8605 or email her at MDeren@schr.sk.ca  Telehealth schedules are posted in each health care facility in the Region.

Pledge to Take Action

Sun Country Health Region, Population Health Promotion Department, is supporting a provincial challenge to get residents out and active.  Not only will this benefit our own health, it also has the potential to financially benefit one lucky community.   
Saskatchewan in motion is giving away $10,000 to help one lucky community make physical activity the easy choice for kids. The in motion Community Pledge Challenge asks Saskatchewan residents to pledge to do just one thing to make physical activity the easy choice for kids – simple things like walking your kids to school or being an active role model.
A panel of judges will choose five finalist communities based on the number of pledges they collect and the strength and creativity of their entry.  The winning community will be chosen through an online public vote.
Here’s how you can help: 
Make a pledge at www.saskatchewaninmotion.ca to do just one thing to make sure our kids can move more
Ask your friends, family, co-workers and neighbours to make a pledge too!
Not only will you be helping your community to win $10,000, but you’ll be helping yourself earn a chance to win too! Saskatchewan in motion is awarding $500 toward an active vacation experience to one lucky pledger! 
Sun Country Health Region currently has four communities entered in this challenge.  Go online to pledge and support these communities in their quest to improve physical activity.  Our children are counting on us!

Student in training

 Melanie Hepp, left, one of three pharmacists on the staff of Sun Country Health Region, shows Grade 12 student Ricki Giroux some of the processes used to identify and fill prescriptions. Ricki is one of the students in the Saskatchewan PreHealth Professionals Club. She hopes to enter the pharmacy program after high school and spent time recently shadowing a pharmacist. For more information about the program, call Kimberly Balog, Mentorship and Clinical Education Coordinator, Sun Country Health Region, at 820-8702 or email at kbalog@schr.sk.ca

See pictures of the sod turnings for new health facilities in Redvers and Radville in the latest issue of the Regional Sun, the newsletter from Sun Country Health Region. Find an online copy here:  The Regional Sun

No measles here

Saskatchewan Health issued a news release on November 14, 2011 regarding six cases of lab-confirmed measles in the City of Regina. Four of the six people with measles had not been immunized.
To date, there have been no cases of measles in Sun Country Health Region (SCHR).  
Measles is highly contagious from about 1 to 2 days before the appearance of the rash, until about 4 days after the onset of the rash. Early identification followed by the implementation of infection control measures is essential to limit the spread of measles.
Symptoms usually occur within 8 to 12 days after exposure but this time frame can range from 7 to 21 days after exposure. Symptoms can include fever and rashes.
The coverage rates for measles immunization in SCHR are high:
1. 81.9% in 2 year old children in SCHR (Saskatchewan – 69.2% in Saskatchewan as a whole)
2. 95.7% in 7 year old children in SCHR (94.3% in Saskatchewan as a whole).
Adults born before 1970 are generally considered to have naturally-acquired immunity from measles. Younger adults should be immune after having received the vaccine. All adults born since 1970 are eligible to receive 2 doses of a measles-containing vaccine.
For more information about measles vaccines and other vaccines please check out our web page on immunizations http://www.suncountry.sk.ca/service/182/88/immunization.html