The provincial health ministry has shifted focus on its urgent health care service in the province as the new Saskatoon Urgent Health Care Centre passes a quarter of the way completion.
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill acknowledged the work at the Saskatoon site, explaining that the UCC will act as an alternative to flooded emergency departments in the city in treating minor illnesses and injuries and providing mental health and addictions supports.
“I want to thank everyone involved in bringing this project to life, from our partners at Ahtahkakoop Cree Developments to the construction crews and health system leaders,” Cockrill said. “Their dedication ensures that families in Saskatoon and across Saskatchewan will soon have greater access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
The new centre is located near St. Paul’s Hospital on the city’s west side on the former Pleasant Hill School site.
The Saskatoon Centre follows the plan of the Urgent Care Centre in Regina, which was originally slated to operate 24 hours a day – seven days a week. However, the Regina site has since seen a reduction in its operating hours due to physician availability. The shift in operational hours is partly the result of the doctor shortage, but as Cockrill explained, it’s also pinned to a shift in focus on patient access with more such facilities in the offing.
“We want to focus on where it’s going to have the greatest patient impact - those are daytime hours,” he said.
Additional centres are planned for Regina and Saskatoon, as well as for Prince Albert, North Battleford and Moose Jaw.
“We are very excited to see great progress being made on the new Saskatoon Urgent Care Centre, which will take pressure off our hospitals and give Saskatoon residents quicker access to frontline health care,” Premier Scott Moe said. “In partnership with Ahtahkakoop Cree Developments, this facility reflects our governments commitment to expand this model of delivery to more communities across Saskatchewan.”
The hope is to have the Saskatoon site operational by early 2027.