New Regina urgent care centre set to open in July

After being announced nearly four years ago, the new urgent care centre (UCC) in Regina is finally about to open, July 2.

“(This) starts a new era of urgent care delivery in the province,” said Derek Miller, Chief Operating Officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).

The centre will open in two phases.

“During our first phase of operations, teams will open the doors to care for patients seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.,” Miller said.

“During this initial phase, care teams will ensure those seeking care at the end of the scheduled hours will have time for treatment and tests to meet their patients’ needs. The second phase of operations will occur over the fall of 2024. We will see the Regina UCC accepting patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

He said this phased approach will help the SHA and staff adapt and improve their procedures in preparation for operating 24/7.

Miller said the dedicated mental health and addictions services at the centre will be a game changer.

“Our teams will be able to care for patients discreetly and confidentially,” he said. “We will support their immediate needs through assessment, counselling, prescriptions, connections to resources and referrals, providing an improved experience.”

Miller also said the centre will help ease pressures on emergency rooms.

“The Regina UCC model is designed to provide another option for those who need urgent care who may not be able to access their primary care provider after hours or on short notice and avoiding emergency department visits for care that can be delivered in another setting,” he said.

He expected the centre will divert 20,000 patients a year away from emergency room trips that could be handled elsewhere.

“That’s about 55 patients a day. That’s our starting point and that’s what we’ve been planning on. Although we do know this is a first in Saskatchewan model. So we know we need to be flexible. We’ll be watching and monitoring what kind of patients are presenting and what are their care needs.”

Miller explained that relieving pressure on emergency rooms will help prevent patients from being treated in hallways, as has been seen in Regina and Saskatoon in the past year.

The urgent care facility to be built in Saskatoon was announced at the same time as Regina’s, but is nowhere near being finished.

Opposition not so optimistic

The facility won’t be fully staffed when it opens and Sask. NDP health critic, Vicki Mowat, is concerned with that.

“Scott Moe and the Sask. Party are driving healthcare workers out of the province,” she said in a statement. “So I’m not surprised that they can’t staff a facility that’s been finished since April. This facility is supposed to be open 24/7 and there’s still no timeline on when that will happen.”

Miller said the SHA has recruited 116 staff so far and it’s working to get to full staffing at 125.

“We’ve also recruited physicians in order to be able to fully operate in the phased opening for the initial hours and then we’ll be working up to the 24/7 operation in the fall,” explained Miller.