Proof-of-vaccination policy introduced for SHA facilities

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has announced that proof of full vaccination will be required to enter its facilities starting Nov. 8.

In a news release issued on Friday, the SHA said that will include all acute-care facilities such as hospitals, as well as long-term care homes.

“It’s very consistent with what’s happening across SHA facilities in acute care as well as within our own staff policies, which are aligned with that Nov. 8 time frame,” SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said during a conference call with media Friday.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have tried to maximize family presence in our long-term care facilities using a number of mechanisms to ensure staff, patient and visitor safety is in place.”

Patients won’t be required to provide proof of full vaccination to receive care or service, but family members and visitors will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test performed in the last 72 hours, the health authority said.

“This is not going to be something that will be easy across our organization to implement, but it’s being done to ensure that we’re keeping our staff and our patients as safe as possible,” Livingstone said.

“We’re still seeing cases in long-term care and, as well, we need to ensure that we’re maximizing family presence. We believe that with the implementation of a program like this, we’re actually adding another layer of safety for our staff, our patients and the people who visit them.”

The Ministry of Health will direct personal care homes to follow suit, the SHA said in its release.

Livingstone said there have been new COVID cases and outbreaks in long-term care homes around the province, but the implementation of the booster program have been what Livingstone called “a major game-changer.”

A number of other precautions have been established to ensure safe visitation, the SHA said, including masking, screening and point of care testing.