Webpaper 25

Page 1

Vol. 105 No. 25

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

Box 40, 122 Main Street, Biggar, Saskatchewan S0K 0M0

email: tip@sasktel.net

20 pages

$1.25

Bri n and ging n are ews a fo t r 10 o Bigg 5y ear ar s! Phone: 306-948-3344

www.biggarindependent.ca ndependent.ca

Heartland Regional Health Authority approves 2014-15 operational plan The Heartland Regional Health Authority (HRHA) approved a balanced operating budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year at its meeting on June 5 in Davidson. The board also approved the 2014-15 operational plan. The operational plan and budget are aligned with the 2014-15 Provincial Health System Plan and the corresponding strategic priorities for the region. This year’s budget is focused on the four strategic priorities outlined in the vision for the Saskatchewan health system: Better Health; Better Care; Better Value; Better Teams. Throughout the process of Hoshin Kanri, the management team and board identified two top Heartland Health Region program priorities for 2014-15: 1.) Emergency Medical Services; 2.) Long Term Care/Seniors Care Other areas of operational focus for 2014-15 are: Financial Imperative • The region will monitor and take corrective actions as required to achieve a balanced budget for 201415. • The region will closely monitor attendance management reports and

take corrective actions when targets are not being met. Accreditation Status • The region will submit evidence of compliance with a number of standards flagged by Accreditation Canada by November 30 in order to maintain an accredited status. Patient Safety and Staff Safety • The Health region will monitor and report on the incidence of patient and staff injury and harm in the workplace at least monthly and develop corrective action plans when targets are not met. “These continue to be exciting and challenging times for the Heartland Health Region,” said Richard Anderson, Board Chair for Heartland Health Region. “We will open three new facilities in Rosetown, Biggar, and Kerrobert this year. We are making progress on recruitment of physicians to the region. Our EMS service is experiencing serious human resource and logistical challenges. We are confident that we are moving in the right direction toward the development of a sustainable primary

care model for our rural communities. To have continued progress on this journey we will need strong collaboration between health professionals and our community partners.” The region was able to end the 2013-14 year with a modest surplus. While Heartland’s budget will see an overall funding increase of 4.4 per cent or $3,806,000 in 2014-15, this won’t address the financial pressures the region is facing. Heartland must find $1.495 million in efficiencies to balance the budget for 2014-15. Heartland’s plan is to realize efficiencies through: Administrative savings; Increased use of shared services coordinated by 3SHealth and other provincial partners; Attendance Management/ Workforce Optimization; Vacancy Management and position review; Review of staffing levels; Restriction on travel, accommodation, and meeting expenses; Reviews of variation and appropriateness of care. This is the fifth consecutive year of significant efficiency target reductions to produce balanced budgets in the health region. The Saskatchewan Health System’s Lean …see Heartland pg 3

Sharpening the skills . . . A Biggar Central School Blazer scampers for the end zone, Friday at the Rec Complex during an inter-squad game. The Blazer’s were hitting the field, tuning up their gridiron skills in preparation for the new school year season in a few months. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)

Haute Barbecue . . . Biggar Central School 2000 Community Council celebrated the end of another successful school year by holding a family barbecue, June 11. Hot dogs, hamburgers . . . classic open fire cuisine, all to thank students, parents and area residents for their support of school activities and positive education initiatives. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)

Credit Union asks for patience during renovations The Biggar and District Credit Union will be getting a needed facelift to the Main Street location, and this Monday, patrons will be asked to make some minor changes Trailers have been moved into the Credit Union’s parking lot, so the reno’s can take place. Customers are being asked to go to these temporary facilities to conduct their banking. The Credit Union says there will be no disruption to services or products on offer. They apologize for any inconvenience, and are offering a chance for clients and visitors to join them for a coffee in their trailer deck. Renovations will begin

shortly and are scheduled for completion in the late fall. With renovations, however, you never know. “I’m hoping maybe the end of October,” Owen Nicklin of the Credit Union explains, “but it’s probably the end of the year.” Anyone who knows anything about renovations, knows you can never plan a definitive date of completion, and Nicklin and the Credit Union are asking for patience. The benefit, when completed, will be obvious to Credit Union members. “We’re facelifting the original part [of the building] - the tellers’ counters, the lenders, the Wealth Management

area,” he said. “We’re updating the heating and electrical systems because it’s very old, very inefficient. There are eight furnaces downstairs, so [when completed] we’ll have one rooftop unit and a boiler - it will be more environmentally friendly.” And cost-effective. The Credit Union, operating in Biggar since 1949, has been at its current Main Street location since 1966. An expansion took place in 1975, with further enlargements to building and services over the years, culminating in the last major growth in 2010.


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