What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
Nov 18, 2024
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
Four months after the launch of Regina’s Urgent Care Centre, the facility has not yet begun to provide 24/7 service, as was originally promised.
When the centre opened in July, its hours were set from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day with a plan to expand to 24/7 service by the fall once the new health-care centre is fully staffed.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority said more than 15,500 patients have been treated at the facility since its doors first opened.
The Saskatchewan NDP is accusing the Sask Party of breaking one of its flagship campaign promises by not having the centre provide 24/7 service. NDP MLA Meara Conway said the government has mishandled the mental health and addiction crisis and has contributed to the issue of long emergency wait times and poor worker retention.
“Health-care workers are full of solutions. We hear from them every day. This government is not listening,” Conway said at a media event on Monday.
The urgent care centre was opened in an effort to improve wait times and help relieve the pressure on larger hospitals. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Conway added that the province would benefit from more consultations and sit-downs with health workers.
“I know that many are hoping that the government will come to the table before they replicate this model elsewhere, because they have so many ideas about what is going wrong,” Conway said.
The provincial government is planning to build a second urgent care centre in Saskatoon in partnership with the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.
The NDP alleged that Regina’s centre isn’t fully staffed, based on job postings on SaskDocs.
“The Saskatchewan Health Authority and Ministry of Health are currently assessing the first few months of Urgent Care Centre operations,” the health authority said in an emailed statement to 980 CJME.
“This will establish a better understanding of the impact of the (centre) on overall system capacity, and support future planning for necessary physician coverage and staffing levels to meet patient volumes.”
The health authority noted that its assessments will help in determining when expansions to 24-hour-a-day service will begin.
“We will communicate more as this progresses,” the health authority noted. “Until that time, hours will remain as posted and the SHA will continue to recruit for any unfilled positions.”
The health authority said the Regina Urgent Care Centre currently treats an average of 114 patients per day.