The Saskatchewan government says construction of the new Urgent Care Centre in Regina is coming along.
In a release Wednesday, the government said the building at 1320 Albert St., is 30 per cent complete, with excavation, structural steel assembly and concrete placement done.
In the coming months, the government said, the building will be sealed, and mechanical and electrical systems will be put in place.
Construction is expected to be done in late 2023, with the centre expected to open early in 2024.
The facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s to be owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, with plans for staffing underway.
“Once complete, the centre will give patients an alternative location to seek care and treatment for urgent, but non-life-threatening health concerns, which require same-day treatment that can more appropriately be addressed outside of the emergency department,” Michelle Mula, the SHA’s acting vice-president of Infrastructure Information and Support, said in the release.
“The Urgent Care Centre will also provide access to 24/7 urgent mental health services for assessment, stabilization, as well as connecting patients to community supports where needed.”
The issue of staffing for the building, and others in the province, is one the NDP has raised.
“It’s great to have buildings; that capital investment is important,” NDP Leader Carla Beck said recently, “but it doesn’t work if we don’t have staff to staff those buildings and that is a concern we hear consistently.”