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The new Weyburn General Hospital will welcome its first patients on Nov. 1 after a grand opening ceremony on Friday.
The facility brings together health-care services previously provided at the existing Weyburn General Hospital, the Weyburn EMS building and Tatagwa View, with the goal of improving access to care for residents of Weyburn and surrounding communities.
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Hon. Michael Weger, MLA for Weyburn-Bengough, and Saskatchewan Minister of Community Safety, served as emcee for the ceremony, recognizing the partnerships and community effort behind the project.
“This project stands as a testament to what can be achieved through strong partnerships, a shared vision, and the dedication of countless individuals,” Weger said.
Weger also recognized former Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA Dustin Duncan for advocating for the hospital. A new hospital was one of three goals Duncan set for the constituency early in his first term, alongside a new health-care centre in Radville and improvements to Highway 39.
“With the completion of this project, all three goals have now been achieved,” Weger said.
Bringing health-care services together
The new hospital includes 25 acute care beds, 10 inpatient mental health beds, emergency department services, ambulatory care, including visiting professional services, EMS space, a heliport for STARS Air Ambulance and dedicated workspaces for health professionals.
Lori Carr, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health, said bringing services together will improve access to care for people in the region.
“By bringing health care together under one roof, the new Weyburn General Hospital will improve access to specialized and high-quality health care for residents in Weyburn and surrounding areas,” she said.
The facility also features the largest operating room in the province, according to Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill. He said the new space could create opportunities to discuss expanding the types of procedures available in Weyburn.
“That changes the conversation we can have about what types of procedures we can do at Weyburn General Hospital, hopefully keeping more people able to receive procedures in southeastern Saskatchewan, not having to travel to Regina or Saskatoon,” Cockrill said.
The 10 inpatient mental health beds currently located at Tatagwa View will move to the new hospital. Andrew Will, CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said having those beds alongside other hospital services offers benefits. Other services at Tatagwa View will continue as before.
“For patients, that means improved access, more coordinated care and a modern environment designed to support healing,” Will said.
Sean Wilson, Saskatchewan’s minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement; Mike Weger, Weyburn-Bengough MLA and minister of community safety; and Lori Carr, minister of mental health and addiction, seniors and rural and remote health, speak following the announcement at the grand opening of the new Weyburn General Hospital. (Larissa McEwen/Discover Weyburn)
Community support helped fund the project
The provincial government committed more than $134 million to the hospital project.
The Weyburn & District Hospital Foundation raised $14.49 million toward the project, along with an additional $7.6 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment, according to Will.
Whitney Johnson, representing the foundation at the ceremony, also highlighted the importance of the new facility for local residents.
“Most importantly, it means our community has access to quality care close to home,” Johnson said.
Will thanked the foundation and the wider community for their contributions.
“The foundation demonstrated a shining example of what is possible when a community rallies around a common goal,” Will said.
Mayor Jeff Richards said the project will help residents receive care closer to home.
“What we’re really celebrating here today is something much more important and that is the ability for people in Weyburn and the surrounding area to receive the care they need and to receive that as close to home as we can get it in a facility built to serve them for many decades,” Richards said.
Weyburn Mayor Jeff Richards and Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill. (Larissa McEwen/Discover Weyburn)
A new facility for patients and staff
The hospital includes new equipment and furnishings purchased with support from the foundation and donors, as well as existing equipment and furnishings suitable for transfer from the current facility.
About 200 staff members are expected to work at the new hospital, a similar number to the existing facility. The larger building also includes additional environmental services staff and enhancements in some areas.
The new heliport will allow STARS Air Ambulance to land directly at the hospital rather than at the Weyburn airport, providing a more direct option for air ambulance access.
Will said a STARS pilot who visited the site during a donor event was impressed by the ability to land at the hospital itself.
Cockrill also noted that the heliport could be useful for transfers to specialized facilities, including urgent pediatric transfers to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.
Richards said the new building will soon become more than a facility.
“Soon this building will be more than just a beautiful new facility. It’ll be a place where people receive compassionate care, where dedicated professionals do extraordinary work, where families find reassurance during very uncertain times and where our neighbours get the help they need at some of the most important times in their lives,” Richards said.
— with files from CKOM News
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