What's New at All Nations Healing Hospital   

The All Nations' Healing Hospital and the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region have partnered on a new service for the residents of Fort Qu' Appelle and district.

Scheduled to begin on Sept. 5 a pilot project for a Rural Cardiac Program for persons affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke in the rural areas of the Regina Qu' Appelle Health Region will offer a twice weekly program.

"This is the first program of its kind in Saskatchewan placing Fort Qu' Appelle at the forefront," said Nial Helgason, Health Promotion Co-ordinator. "We are very excited at bringing these services here locally. It will enable people to stay home and get the services they require without having to experience the added stress of travelling to Regina or other larger centres on a regular basis. Hopefully these facilities will also become available to other smaller communities in the future," he said.

Through Telehealth, the program is available for patients and their families who live with heart disease and will offer education classes and supervised exercise sessions.

Currently within the province of Saskatchewan there are four organized cardiac rehabilitation programs running exclusively in larger cities. With disease of the circulatory system being one of the leading causes of hospitalization, the implementation of a rural cardiac rehabilitation program would not only expand services to meet the needs of our rural population but lighten the load on already strained acute care facilities.

All Nations' Healing Hospital (ANHH) negotiations have resulted in the signing of two of their three labour agreements.

Provincial agreements were signed last fall and although the health district's agreement is very close to the provincial agreement there are "significant similarities but with some unique differences" said Marian Zerr, Director of ANHH.

Successful negotiations resulted in the tentative agreement being reached between ANHH, the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations on April 18.

This new collective agreement is in line with the provincial agreement which was reached in 2005 and will expire March 31, 2008.

A second agreement which was reached between ANHH and the Public Service Alliance of Canada was signed March 8, and will also be in place until 2008.

Both agreements "were reached with the spirit of co-operation and meets both employer and employee's needs," says Zerr.

Negotiations for agreement will be entered into shortly between ANHH and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Back row (from left): Michelle Vogt, Senior Labour Relations Consultant - SAHO, Judy McKenzie - Employment Relations Officer - SUN, Marlene Brown, first vice president - SUN, Garth Robson - Senior Labour Relations Consultant - SAHO. Front row (from left): Charlene Horsman, vice President - SUN Local 312, Marian Zerr, director - All Nations' Healing Hospital, Dinys Reed, president - SUN Local 312, Lisa Watson, finance - ANHH.

Telehealth, a new, exciting service which has the capacity to bring medical experts directly into hospital rooms via satellite and provide medical instruction to staff, is now part of the services offered by Fort Qu'Appelle's All Nations' Healing Hospital.

Medical personnel offered a brief but impressive demonstration of Telehealth at the hospital recently, explaining how the modern system will not only serve patients better but will also assist in the recruitment and retention of hospital staff.

Headed by hospital Director Marian Zeir, medical staff showed how the new service allows a doctor to visit with a client through the use of video-conferencing equipment.

Lorna Breitkreuz, Director of Client Services and Earlene Keewatin, Computer Technician demonstrated the use of the hand-held camera which can be used to focus directly on a specific ailment, allowing the consulting physician the opportunity to speak directly to the client and discuss the ailment.

Zerr explained that the system will offer increased opportunities for effective, efficient and accessible consultation services to local residents right at the local hospital.

"This service has just recently been put in place -it uses leading-edge technology allowing for better education opportunities for staff and better on-site support for local physicians," Zerr explained.

Fort Qu'Appelle's hospital is one of only 26 medical centres in Saskatchewan with Telehealth. A white board, a satellite web cam and an over-sized viewing screen located in the hospital's main conference room serve to accommodate a wide variety of lectures and clinics which assist medical staff in maintaining and upgrading their skills.

The same system with smaller viewing screens and additional hand-held cameras have been installed in hospital rooms and allow for one on one consultation.

Zerr said selectively scheduled clinics can be attended by staff on off hours, allowing constant educational upgrades without having to leave the community.

She said the $100,000 project was funded by the Federal government, with the promise of technical access from Sask Health and the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region.

Five partners got together to bring this system to Fort Qu'Appelle and Zerr said at times coordinating and directing this group proved to be the most challenging aspect of the project.

"Federal and provincial agencies as well as the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, the Regina General Hospital and All Nations' Healing Hospital were the five players in the project," she said.

The growth and sustainability of telehealth will be closely linked to high standards of professional service delivery and effective partnerships that work together toward successful Telehealth delivery systems.

Zerr explained that for individuals who cannot easily access medical services due to challenges related to weather or time constraints, access to this system would enable residents of this area to receive more timely quality health services right here, without having to travel to the city.

On March 13 the public is invited to attend a special Telehealth presentation at All Nations' Healing Hospital which will discuss quality in health care. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to register at once as seating is limited. To register call 1-866-668-1599 or e-mail - feedback@hqc.sk.ca Entitled What's Behind the Curtain? - Reporting on Quality in Health Care the live, interactive meeting will feature Saskatchewan patients sharing their perspectives on public reporting as well as a number of guest speakers and a medical panel discussing the issues raised.

Gerard Lagace, on behal of IPSCO, presents a $1,000 donation to Connie Wowchuk, chair of the All Nations' Healing Hospital fundraising committee, on Nov. 30. Standing in back are Diagnostic Supervisor Anne Rathgaber (centre) and Marian Zerr, Director of All Nations' Hospital. The $1,000 donation will go to the purchase of a new chemistry analyzer, a piece of diagnostic equipment. The hospital currently has a re-conditioned analyzer in use but expects the unit to wear out within the next two years. A new analyzer will cost approximately $100,000.

All Nations' Healing Hospital has kicked off a new fund raising campaign to replace an aging piece of diagnostic equipment that will cost $100,000. The campaign to purchase a new chemistry analyzer began last Wednesday with a $1,000 donation from IPSCO Inc., represented by Gerard Lagace. Marian Zerr, Director of All Nations' Healing Hospital, said they hope to purchase the new analyzer in the next financial year, possibly by March 2007. Zerr said the exact price tag of the machine is not known but its estimated cost is roughly $100,000. Although the hospital will pursue grants and other funding to help pay for the analyzer, donations from the community will be needed to cover at least part of its cost. The hospital currently has a chemistry analyzer, a re-conditioned unit purchased in 2001. The current analyzer is still functioning but is expected to wear out in the next two years. Zerr said the issue arises from the volume of diagnostic tests done at the hospital, which have increased greatly from the time the analyzer was first purchased. The current analyzer runs six to seven hours a day and is always in standby mode for emergencies on weekends and nights. On average, the analyzer is used for approximately 1,346 tests per month. "The biggest issue is wear-out. We've had so much volume increase in the last year and a half," said Zerr. Diagnostic supervisor Anne Rathgaber compared the analyzer to a person's vehicle: even with careful maintainance, any car or truck will eventually run down. The chemistry analyzer is used in the diagnostics department of the hospital to perform tests on patient blood, urine and cerebral spinal fluid. Tests performed by the analyzer assist physicians in diagnosing a variety of conditions, including diabetes, kidney and liver function and patients at risk for heart attacks and strokes. The hospital's present analyzer can run 30 different tests on any given specimen and will accept up to 40 patient samples at a time. The unit allows the All Nations' Healing Hospital to work with patients in Fort Qu'Appelle rather than sending specimens to Regina laboratories for testing.

Reprinted with permission from The Fort Qu'Appelle Times, December 6, 2005.

Like many college students on summer break, Bree Thauberger of Qu' Appelle returned home to work off her holidays. But while many such students find seasonal labour, such as pumping gas or planting trees, Thauberger spent July and August aiding staff and patients as a third-year assistant at the All Nations' Healing Hospital. Thauberger, who is in her fourth year with the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS), chose her placement at All Nations because it promised to provide a well-rounded experience. She loved the way the staff incorporated her into their everyday schedules and took the time to teach her. The most personally rewarding aspect of her placement, however, was the one-on-one time she had with patients, especially those who did not have family and friends nearby. Bree Thauberger is one of many students who have worked at All Nations through the hospital's involvement with NEPS. work and learn in the many programs offered within All Nations' Healing Hospital. Lorna Breitkreuz, Director of Client Services, said, "We can provide (these students) a diverse experience in a number of health care settings and with a variety of health care professionals." For example, students are involved in the acute care/emergency department, home and community care, and chronic diabetes management. While All Nations' Healing Hospital always welcomes local students from NEPS, they are also adding an exciting new International program to the facility in the new year. This January, two senior students from the professional nursing program at Augustana College, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will be completing a clinical placement at the hospital as part of their senior nursing practicum. All Nations prides itself on being a student-friendly facility, welcoming students in areas such as nursing, nutrition, health records, diagnostics and social work. Marian Zerr, Director of All Nations Healing Hospital and the File Hills QuAppelle Tribal Council Health Service, said there is value in working with students from both staff recruitment and retention
Through these clinical placements the students perspectives. "Having students in the facility gives us the opportunity to train senior nurses as preceptors, and enables those nurses to provide mentoring and leadership to the students. That has a proven beneficial effect on job satisfaction." Also, Zerr said having students in the facility also assists in staying current with the latest practice and research, and also showcases the facility and its integrated approach to service delivery across the continuum of care. "We offer a tremendously unique learning opportunity to students and we hope it encourages them t~ consider practicing in similar settings. Our clients enjoy the interaction they have with these energetic and enthusiastic students, who are keen on learning from them as well." Tracie Heller, now a registered nurse (RN), spent her fourth year clinical placement in the home and community care program at the File Hills QuAppelle Health Service. Heller said she found the atmosphere to be very friendly and supportive. For Heller, the opportunity to work with the First Nation population and learn about their culture was a positive experience. Zerr said she believes that rural facilities must take a pro-active approach with students. "They are our potential future employees. If students only experience work in urban settings, they are less likely to consider employment outside of cities." "We need to help them experience the rewards of working in rural and First Nation settings if we hope to recruit them once they graduate," she said.
Submitted by Tammy Pawelko, All Nations Healing Hospital

Reprinted with permission from The Fort Qu'Appelle Times, December 6, 2005.

A new piece of equipment vital to the health of newborn babies was recently acquired for the All Nations Healing Hospital. The infant resuscitator is used following some high-risk deliveries to ensure the safety of the newborn, said Lorna Breitkreuz, Director of Client Services at the All Nations' Healing Hospital. The resuscitator is used when necessary to resuscitate a child's breathing, but is also used if staff just need to monitor the baby, said Breitkreuz. The resuscitator was installed at the hospital in mid-September. Breitkreuz said the equipment cost an estimated $18,000. While the hospital already had a resuscitator, it was replaced because it was out-of-date. Deliveries are generally not done at the All Nations' Healing Hospital except on an emergency basis, when parents or ambulances are unable to make it all the way to Regina. While these are infrequent, emergency deliveries do occur at the hospital. Breitkreuz said they had a stretch of three births at the hospital this summer. "Basically.. we have to ensure our equipment meets a certain standard and we can be ready for the situations that come up," she said. Breitkreuz said they have not had to use the new resuscitator yet this year.
This piece of equipment and others could not have been purchased without the fund-raising efforts of the community at large. However, further fund-raising is always needed at the hospital, for onoing maintenance and equipment purchases, from high-profile items like resuscitators to mundane items like silverware.