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New Saskatchewan Hospital: best care anywhere

I was briefly “locked up” in Saskatchewan Hospital last Thursday, but it was more comical than scary. My gimpy knee and I took in the media tour offered by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Unveiling the new Saskatchewan Hospital_0

I was briefly “locked up” in Saskatchewan Hospital last Thursday, but it was more comical than scary.

My gimpy knee and I took in the media tour offered by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. A malfunctioning security pod between a corridor and one of the wards had Vikki Smart and I “contained” for a couple minutes before onsite workers rescued us.

Other than that little glitch, and too much standing for the knee, it was an eye-popping experience.

It’s been many years since I have been in the old Saskatchewan Hospital, but I remember the institutional feel of the place. During our tour, Saskatchewan Hospital director Linda Shynkaruk described how patients, offered an opportunity to provide input into the design, called out for natural light. Shynkaruk said several of the therapies and services offered to patients are located in the basement of the old hospital. Sounds like a dreary prospect to me.

The other major request was privacy. The new facility did away with the dorm-style housing in the old hospital, giving each patient their own room and one bathroom for every two patients.

Other impressive aspects are a second-floor dining room awash in prairie light and outdoor courtyards accessible from each ward.

SHA communications officer Linda Lewis says the response to an offer of public tours of the new SHNB has been overwhelming. The tours began Monday and run until Nov. 2 weekdays. Those who sign up are in for an educational experience.