November 20, 2014
The evening celebrated
the contributions of
practitioner staff and
conveyed specific appreciation
to 92 physicians, surgeons and
From left to right:
Dr. Shreedhar Jachak,
Family Medicine;
Dr. Stewart McMillan,
Family Medicine
and Dr. Ron Ailsby,
Surgery, Orthopedics.
Photo credit: Charissa
Amyotte.
dentists who reached a service
milestone with the Region.
7th annual Physician Long Service event
The Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR) Practitioner Staff Affairs
and Physician and Integrated Health Services departments sponsored the
seventh annual Physician Long Service Celebration which occurred on
Wednesday, November 5.
The evening celebrated the contributions of practitioner staff and
conveyed specific appreciation to 92 physicians, surgeons and dentists
who reached a service milestone with the Region. Eleven physicians were
honored for achieving significant milestones of 30, 35 and 40 years of
service.
• Resident’s morning care
transformed
• Library Week winners
• Park & Ride
Dr. David McCutcheon, Vice President, Physician and Integrated
Health Services for the RQHR, was Master of Ceremonies with special
greetings from Laura Ross, Member of the Legislative Assembly for the
Regina Qu’Appelle Valley; Lloyd Boutilier, Chairperson of the Regina
Qu’Appelle Regional Health Authority; Keith Dewar, President and CEO
of the RQHR; Dr. Siva Karunakaran, President of the Regional Medical
Association; and two Regina-based medical students.
A special presentation was made by Dr. Barb Konstantynowicz, Deputy
Head Department of Family Medicine. Musical entertainment for the
evening was provided by Jacquie Messer-Lepage and Dawn Henry.
The RQHR would like to congratulate all those who achieved milestones
and extend sincere appreciation to all members of practitioner staff for
their dedication to our Region, our patients and the residents of southern
Saskatchewan.
Morning care for residents transformed
be shared across the
province by 3sHealth as
part of the transition to
the new provincial linen
service in 2015.
“By improving linen,
we know we can
improve patient care and
infection control,” said
Jim Crawford, Director
of Provincial Linen
Services at 3sHealth,
and the replication coStaff at WRC have developed a great teamwork
Now, thanks to
sponsor. “Using Lean,
culture and improved patient care via Lean. Photo
improvement work that
we were able to change
credit: Jennifer Fetch, Kaizen Specialist, 3sHealth.
started on two units and
work processes and
developed new processes, tested
has now spread to all seven
accomplish our goals with the
and improved them, and then
long-term care units in the
team at Wascana Rehabilitation
helped colleagues in other units
facility, care providers have
Centre.”
implement them.
found ways to ensure they have
Ngaire Woodroffe Brown,
Safety improved by
all the supplies they need onDirector, Long-Term Care
eliminating hallway carts
hand, fewer steps to walk, and
Kaizen Operations Team, Regina
The biggest change has been
uninterrupted time with their
Qu’Appelle Health Region
eliminating the carts stacked
residents.
(RQHR), said both residents and
with linen and supplies in
“When you have what you need
staff have benefited from the
each hallway. Prior to the
in the morning, it changes your
changes.
improvement work, the carts
whole day,” said Erica Church,
blocked patients’ paths and were “Our residents’ environment
Continuing Care Aid at WRC.
has become less institutional
vulnerable to contamination
“Staff are more organized and
and more home-like with the
by patients, visitors and staff
residents are calmer.”
touching, sneezing and coughing elimination of large carts that
Before the new process, care
were in the hallway. It’s also a
on them. Now that risk has
aides often moved in and out
huge boon to our staff. They feel
been removed, and linen is kept
of residents’ rooms looking for
more valued and empowered as
covered and out of the way.
supplies for residents’ morning
they were involved in actually
Staff safety and engagement
care – up to 27 times in a 2.5
designing and implementing the
Staff safety has also improved
hour period.
improvements. It isn’t about the
because there is less handling of
leaders designing improvements
“I used to look down the
large, heavy piles of linen and
in their office. It doesn’t work
hallways during the morning
their walking distance has been
like that anymore.”
care time routine and see my
reduced by 40 per cent.
staff walking back and forth
“A lot of these ideas are ones the
The other benefit is staff
in the halls getting supplies.
staff have had for years and now,
engagement. Teams used a pay it
Now the halls are quiet because
because of Lean, they’ve been
forward approach when teaching
they are in the rooms with the
able to try it,” said Church.
others the new standards and
residents. It’s very different,”
“The biggest thing I like about
processes, which developed
said Shauna Leonard, Unit
Lean is the do it now approach,”
teamwork and encouraged
Manager.
she added. “If we have an idea,
collaboration.
“With some residents, especially
we trial it and tweak it as we go.
“This is the way to build staff
those with dementia, it can be
People are saying, if I have an
morale and leadership,” says Kat
upsetting when staff leave in the
idea, it can happen.”
Moyer, Unit Manager. “The staff
middle of their morning care
Submitted by 3sHealth Integrated
are truly process owners.”
routine. It can be a bad start to
Communications and Marketing.
All of these improvements will
their day,” said Church.
not only benefit the staff and
Over the past 18 months, care
residents of WRC, they will also
providers, as part of Lean events,
November 20, 2014 - page 2
Morning care, the time
when residents get cleaned
and dressed for the day,
is often the only one-onone time long-term care
residents spend with
a care provider. At the
Wascana Rehabilitation
Centre (WRC), that time
was interrupted when care
providers needed to get
towels, sheets and other
supplies.
Park & Ride
ticket draw winner
Gift shop
customer
appreciation day
The Pasqua Hospital
Auxiliary Gift Shop
will be having a 20
per cent off Customer
Appreciation Day on
November 24 from
9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
November 20, 2014 - page 3
The winner of four tickets to the
Conexus Arts Centre’s presentation
of Vinyl Café Christmas Show
with Stuart McLean on Tuesday,
December 9 is Park & Ride user
Nicole Wright. Congratulations
Nicole!
Christmas
Dinner and
Dance
Conexus Arts Centre
Friday, December 12
Cocktails: 6:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 p.m.
Dance: 9 p.m.
Cost: $30 per person
November Ticket Blitz:
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
November 27:
RGH and PH cafeterias,
and 2110 Hamilton St.
Boardroom
Purchase tickets at one
of the Blitz days and be
entered into a gift basket
draw on November 27.
Tickets on sale at RGH,
PH, WRC and RPV
Finance Kiosks after
November 6.
For more information, or
to purchase community
and rural tickets, call
Pam at 306-766-5972 or
email dance.christmas@
rqhealth.ca.
If you’re raising funds for a
good cause, you can promote
the event on the Public Service
Announcements section of the
RQHR Business Board (http://
rhdintranet/ultimate/cgi-bin/
ultimatebb.cgi). Send your
request to communications@
rqhealth.ca. All requests will
be reviewed for suitability
before publishing.
© Copyright 2014
Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region
e-link is published weekly by the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region.
We welcome submissions. Please submit items no later than two weeks
before publication. Submissions are subject to the editorial guidelines
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November 20, 2014 - page 4
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