All links are best viewed in Google Chrome. Estimated read time: eight minutes | - Regina Breast Health Centre marks one year of improved patient access
| - Murals help residents feel at home
| - National Volunteer Week April 19-25
- Regina acute care speech language pathologists expanding access to swallowing assessment with Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing
- Yorkton and District Nursing Home improves appropriate antipsychotic use through sparking change
- Message for Earth Day – April 22
- Community support during Outlook water disruption
| - Annual vacation update and payout
- Join the Design Thinking Learning Series
- SHA Drugs and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) - March newsletter
- Antimicrobial Resistant Organism (ARO) Management Guidelines released April 22
- Health system eliminating 148 football fields worth of plastic
| - 2026-27 Staff Safety Strategy Survey
| - ECHO Autism Saskatchewan spotlight sessions
- Belonging, Diversity and Inclusion - Understanding Intersectionality
- Pediatric Pain Management across the Continuum of Care
- Fundamentals of Fetal Health Surveillance
- Foundations for Anti-Racism Training - Saskatoon
- 2026 SHA Innovation Awards Ceremony
- Continuing Medical Education - April and May
| Public Service Announcements and News Releases | Regina Breast Health Centre marks one year of improved patient access | The Regina Breast Health Centre is celebrating its first anniversary, marking one year of significantly improving breast health care for Saskatchewan patients. | SHA CARES - Living our Values | Murals help residents feel at home | “Walk down most long-term care hallways and they all start to look the same. Same walls. Same doors. Same colours. For the average visitor, it's easy enough to navigate. For someone living with Alzheimer's or dementia, it can be genuinely overwhelming.
That's the problem the Memory Care Wing in Kelvington set out to solve. The idea started with Susan Gellert and was overseen by Morgan Ermel. From there, it took on a life of its own. A local volunteer took donation request letters door to door to businesses across town. The community responded. By the end, $30,038.65 had been raised, entirely from local support. Murals were ordered from Creative Art Co. in Ontario. Local artist Iana Thomas took it from there, hanging every panel and completing all the painting and drywall work herself. | Recognition and Appreciation | National Volunteer Week April 19-25 | National Volunteer Week is April 19 -25, and this year is especially meaningful as we also recognize International Volunteer Year - celebrated only once every 25 years by the United Nations.
This is an opportunity for us to recognize the incredible contributions of our SHA volunteer team members.
In 2025, SHA volunteers contributed over 153,000 hours of service directly impacting health care and healing by bringing compassion and connections to patients, residents, clients, families and staff every day.
We all play a key role in showing appreciation. Volunteer Services encourages you to take a moment to acknowledge volunteers It can be as simple as a “thank you” or a kind conversation.
Please also support and participate in any local recognition activities in your area.
Thank you for helping ensure our volunteers feel valued. | Regina acute care speech language pathologists expanding access to swallowing assessment with Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing | Regina acute care SLPs with the FEES system from left: Stephanie Carruthers, Chantelle Thomas, Taylor Adolph | Since March 2025, speech language pathologists (SLPs) at Regina General Hospital and Pasqua Hospital have implemented Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), expanding timely access to objective swallow assessments in acute care.
Objective swallow assessments are essential to accurately identifying physiological swallowing impairments, reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia, support safe nutrition and hydration, and prevent unnecessary diet restrictions.
Previously, all swallow studies were completed as modified Barium Swallow (MBS) studies in radiology, where limited availability often delayed care progression and discharge. FEES is a mobile, radiation-free endoscopic procedure that can be performed at the bedside or in the therapy gym, improving responsiveness and patient flow.
Since implementation, 181 FEES assessments have been completed between the two sites, saving an estimated 362 bed days compared to MBS reliance.
Some key pieces of equipment required to make this program successful were funded through the Hospitals of Regina Foundation Therapy Gym project. We are so thankful for their support and partnership which enables us to improve care for our patients!
This initiative enhances local practice and supports provincial expansion through SLP training in Saskatoon and rural facilities. | Yorkton and District Nursing Home improves appropriate antipsychotic use through sparking change | Herb Elder enjoying his fidget tables. Fidget tables are an example of a non-pharmacological approach to supporting the reduction of responsive behaviours. | “Hold off the Haldol and Quiet the Quetiapine” is a quality improvement initiative launched in February 2025 in partnership with Health Excellence Canada at Yorkton and District Nursing Home, a 226 bed facility within Integrated Rural Health. The project focused on reducing inappropriate antipsychotic use and improving resident centred care. Key successes include the implementation of a standardized, home wide medication review process featuring comprehensive monthly reviews of antipsychotic use. In collaboration with the contracted pharmacy, an education tool was developed to support non antipsychotic pharmacological options for restlessness and sleep challenges. The team was also awarded $5,000 through the program to enhance non pharmacological resources for residents experiencing responsive behaviours. As a result of these efforts, a 44% reduction in scheduled antipsychotics was achieved within the target population. This work reflects strong interdisciplinary collaboration and ongoing commitment to quality care improvement. | Message for Earth Day – April 22 | A message from the Energy and Environmental Sustainability Team On April 22, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) will mark Earth Day. On this occasion, we are encouraging staff and leaders across the province to take part in two simple actions: mindful printing and powering down. Mindful printing means thinking twice before you print something on paper, considering whether a digital option will suffice. SHA team members print over four million pages per month — that is roughly 5,000 trees per year. Powering down means simply turning off lights, computers and other equipment when areas or the equipment itself is not in use. This can reduce our energy consumption by up to 10 per cent. Small, everyday choices help to reduce waste, save energy, and support sustainable health-care delivery. | Community support during Outlook water disruption | On December 15, 2025, the Water Security Agency issued a drinking water advisory for the Town of Outlook, including the Outlook & District Health Centre.
Even with a simultaneous winter storm in the area, the impact on the Outlook and District Health Centre was minimized due to the tremendous efforts of local SHA leaders and staff, community members and businesses, and SHA facilities from surrounding areas.
Some key actions that helped maintain essential services and safe patient care included: - Procuring approximately 1,600 gallons of non-potable water for sanitation and facility operations.
- Sourcing approximately 200 jugs of potable water for drinking and medication administration.
- Implementing a 24-hour manual fire watch due to the temporary loss of sprinkler system functionality.
- Redirecting laundry services to Kindersley & District Health Centre.
- Modifying nutrition menus to frozen heat-and-serve meals.
- Substituting traditional bathing with specialized hygiene wipes and deploying portable handwashing stations equipped with battery-powered pumps.
The advisory was officially rescinded on December 23, 2025, and normal operations resumed thanks to the collective work of everyone involved. | Annual vacation update and payout | As the 2025/2026 vacation year ended on March 31, 2026, any vacation hours above the allowable carry-over amount will be paid out on the April 24, 2026 pay. Any exceptions to this are outlined in the Vacation Policy.
Carry-over limits: - In-scope employees: up to 80 hours (two weeks)
- Out-of-scope employees: up to 75 hours (two weeks)
What's happening to your vacation balances? - As of April 8, all hours from your “Vacation - Accrued” bank have been moved into your “Vacation - Entitled” bank
- Payroll will review your “Vacation - Entitled” balance and allow:
- A full year of vacation entitlement, plus
- Up to two weeks of carry-over
- Any hours above this amount will be paid out, and you'll see your “Vacation - Entitled” balance decrease accordingly
Going forward: - Your “Vacation - Accrued” bank will begin building again as you earn vacation each month
For more details, please refer to:
| Join the Design Thinking Learning Series | Dates: May 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28
Time: 12– 1 p.m.
Location: Virtual This six-part virtual series is designed to immerse participants in the principles and practices of design thinking—a proven approach to tackling complex challenges in healthcare and beyond. Over six sessions, you’ll gain practical experience and tools to help you: - Build empathy and define real-world problems.
- Generate innovative, human-centered solutions.
- Test and refine ideas through hands-on prototyping and feedback.
- Translate creative thinking into actionable change.
The learning series encourages active participation and applied experimentation—not a passive learning experience. You'll be joining a community of like-minded health-care professionals who are committed to driving positive change across the system.
Who Should Attend?
Anyone across the SHA looking to build innovation capacity and apply fresh thinking to real challenges. Whether you’re new to design thinking or looking to deepen your skills, this series is for you.
Seating is limited.
Email Robyn.Mcgonigle@saskhealthauthority.ca to secure your spot. Have questions? Contact Vince for more information. | SHA Drugs and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) - March newsletter | The DTC Line Newsletter March 2026 is now available. This issue contains important Formulary Updates including: - addition of ravulizumab (Ultomiris),
- removal of desflurane (Suprane),
- review of oral sulfate solution (KleanLyte),
- addition of ketamine injection through the Formulary Alignment Project, and
- a summary of drug use evaluation audits for 2025.
| Antimicrobial Resistant Organism (ARO) Management Guidelines released April 22 | Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) has developed/updated the following documents relating to the management of Antimicrobial Resistant Organisms (AROs): - IPAC-G-0015 ARO Management Guidelines (New)
- SHA-0392 ARO Screening Tool (Updated)
- CS-WS-0021 ARO Screening Tool Work Standard (Updated)
- IPAC-H-0004 ARO Screening Tool FAQ (Updated)
- IPAC-P-0038 Hand Sink Out of Service Poster (New)
- IPAC-G-0001 Transmission-Based Precautions Table (Updated)
- CS-WS-0061 ARO Surveillance and Testing Orders Work Standard (New)
- CS-MD-0005 ARO Surveillance and Testing Medical Directive (New)
- IPAC-WS-0031 ARO Contact Tracing for Patient Exposures in Acute Care Facilities (New)
- IPAC-F-0030 Patient Contact Tracking List (Updated)
All of the documents above that are not linked, can be found on the IPAC intranet site.
These documents replace all former health region ARO Management policies/guidelines/procedures.
| Health system eliminating 148 football fields’ worth of plastic | Saskatchewan’s health-care sector is preparing to remove an enormous amount of plastic from the laundry system.
K-Bro Linen Systems, the province’s service provider for health-care laundry, is transitioning away from using plastic bags to deliver more than two dozen laundry items to medical facilities. This means approximately 5,400 plastic bags per day will be removed from the laundry system, significantly reducing the 13 million square feet of plastic waste created each year. That’s enough plastic to cover nearly 300 acres of land or 148 Canadian Football League fields.
To find out more about this change, check out this story on 3sHealth’s website. | 2026-27 Staff Safety Strategy Survey Deadline: May 8 Complete a short survey focused on your day-to-day experience and perception of safety within your department and across Saskatchewan Health Authority. Your perspective is essential in helping us understand how safe, supported, and prepared you feel in your work environment. Insights gathered will directly inform the evolution of our Staff Safety strategy and priorities, ensuring they reflect the realities of our teams and meaningfully support staff across the organization. | ECHO Autism Saskatchewan spotlight sessions Date: April 21 and 28
Time: 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual The SHA Provincial Autism Strategy is offering three free virtual sessions celebrating Autism Acceptance Month. The sessions are open to all, including professionals, autistic advocates, and parents/caregivers. Each ECHO Autism SK Spotlight Series includes a lived-experience panel discussion and age-based breakout mini-sessions. | Belonging, Diversity and Inclusion - Understanding Intersectionality Date: April 23
Time: 12 - 1 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Those who registered using Webex need to register using MS Teams! All staff are invited to attend a lunch-and-learn training session focused on intersectionality. These sessions introduce intersectionality as a practical framework for understanding how people's identities, lived experiences, and how roles intersect and shape how people experience care, the workplace, and health outcomes. Participants will explore how increased awareness of these intersections supports more compassionate, respectful, and equitable care for patients and families, while also strengthening team relationships and psychological safety. | Pediatric Pain Management across the Continuum of Care Date: April 24
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual
The education day will be held virtually with the option to view the virtual sessions in person, at the following locations: - Swift Current: Cypress Hospital, Conference Room 1
- Moose Jaw: Wigmore Regional Hospital, Coteau Room
View poster for more details.
| Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care (LEAP) Date: April 28, May 16, June 16, or July 14
Time: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Virtual
We are starting (LEAP) Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care sessions for this upcoming year. Pre-work is required before attending a session. If you would like to attend, please ensure you have approval from your manager (if applicable) before filling out the form below. | Fundamentals of Fetal Health Surveillance Date: April 30 and May 1
Time: 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual The course is intended for practitioners (nurses, physicians, registered midwives) with clinical experience as part of their regular review of fetal health surveillance knowledge, skills and clinical decision making as well as new obstetrical care providers as an adjunct to their facility orientation program. The course consists of three components: Pre-study of the “Fundamentals of Fetal Health Surveillance Online Manual”, successful completion of the Online Exam, and participation in a Fetal Health Surveillance interdisciplinary workshop. | Foundations for Anti-Racism Training - Saskatoon Date: May 6, 13, and 20
Time: 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Saskatoon City Hospital Join us for a three-part training series that supports the SHA CARES values. Through thoughtful discussions and practical strategies, participants will deepen their understanding of the hidden realities of racism and the promise of more inclusive, equitable environments for patients and colleagues. Open to all SHA staff, allied professionals, and other health practitioners. Each session builds on the last. All three must be taken to obtain a certificate of completion. - Module 1 – Foundations for Action
- Module 2 – Indigenous-specific and Anti-Black Racism
- Module 3 – Being A Changemaker
Email shellan.gerlinsky@saskhealthauthority.ca to register. | Date: May 11
Time: 12 - 1 p.m.
Location: Virtual Join us over the lunch hour on May 11 as we celebrate outstanding innovation across our organization. Discover inspiring projects, hear the stories behind them, and be among the first to find out this year’s Innovation Award winners. These innovations reflect our SHA CARES Values—demonstrating compassion, accountability, respect, equity, and safety in action across the work we do every day. You wil leave feeling energized by the passion, creativity, and dedication that continue to drive meaningful change in our work. | TO PRINT AND POST: Just print this email. DO YOU HAVE A SUBMISSION? See our guidelines here. DID YOU MISS AN ISSUE? See our archives. | | | | |
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