WHEREAS the Hafford Special Care Centre & Primary Care Site is sufficiently staffed to handle re-instatement of the four vacant rooms to provide space for four additional residents; and

WHEREAS the Hafford & Area Primary Care Community Advisory Network has previously requested the Prince Albert Parkland region for the past five consecutive years to re-instate the usage of these presently idle rooms for our area residents; and

WHEREAS at the March 2009 SARM Convention, we were advised that there is a shortage of level 3 and 4 beds in Saskatchewan;

BE IT RESOLVED that SARM support our endeavour to seek approval from the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region and the Ministry of Health to see fit to allow for the utilization of the four vacant rooms for patient residency.

Response from Honourable Don McMorris, Minister of Health:

The Ministry of Health’s role is to provide funding to the regional health authorities. Regional health authorities are then responsible for the delivery of health programs and services, as well as decisions about priorities and managing care, this includes decisions regarding the utilization of vacant units.

Demographic information indicates that the population over age 75 has peaked in the Town of Hafford and surrounding Rural Municipalities. The Ministry of Health population projections reflect little to no increase in Hafford community population over 75.

The ministry supports the Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority decision and communication that the Hafford community has an adequate number of long-term care beds per population, and there appears to be no community need for four additional long-term care beds.