All links are best viewed in Google Chrome. Use the links below to quickly navigate to a section. | - SGEU and SAHO Inc. reach Tentative Agreement
- Saskatchewan launches new Respiratory Therapy Training Program
- Construction of the new Grenfell Long-Term Care Home reaches halfway point
- New Weyburn General Hospital celebrates grand opening
| - New Yorkton chemotherapy space brings comfort and care closer to home
| - Foundations for Anti-Racism Training - Meadow Lake
- Truth and Reconciliation in Social Work Practice – Moving Beyond Good Intentions to Create Meaningful Change
| - Respiratory Therapy (RT) Week
- Celebrating Health Information Professionals Week
- Celebrating Occupational Therapy Month 2026
- Yorkton Regional Health Centre - Using Blood Wisely Hospital designation
- Children’s Mental Health Services - Go blue for October
| - Fall immunization available for health-care providers
- eHealth: Health card renewal stickers – alerting patients about returned mail
- Change in COVID-19 Contact Tracing
- Outpatient IV Iron Doses now captured on PIP and eHR Viewer
- Antimicrobial Resistant Organism Management Guidelines
| - NEW: Indigenous Smudging Ceremony Policy (SHA-04-007)
- Safe Driving Procedure renewal
| - Release of Provincial Consent/Refusal for Administration of Blood Transfusion
- Clinical Documentation and Communication Standards
- Updates to Antibiotic Resistant Organism (ARO) Management Guidelines and Transmission Based Precautions Table
| Events - Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation - Breast Health Centre Silent Auction
- National Health Ethics Week Sessions
Professional Development - Free online suicide prevention training
- Privacy Training – Foundations in MyWork
- LEAP Training Sessions
- ECHO Autism SK - Supporting Mental Health Across the School Years
- Continuing Medical Education - Webinars, Conferences, and Courses
| Canadian Patient Safety Week takes place October 26-30. The theme for 2026 is “What Shapes Safer Care?” Guided by our CARES values and philosophy of care, everyone within the Saskatchewan Health Authority is committed to providing safe, high-quality care. Our commitment to safety guides our decision-making, collaboration, the care environments we create, and the relationships we build with patients, families and one another. Every interaction is an opportunity to strengthen safety and improve the care experience in SHA facilities and community settings throughout the province. Patient safety is at the heart of our work. Supporting better patient safety outcomes means we all work to create an environment where people feel heard, respected, included and supported to speak up when something does not seem right, and to take action when they see opportunities to improve patient safety; anywhere in our health system. During Patient Safety Week, I encourage every member of every SHA team to reflect on how you contribute to safer care in your daily work. Know that your actions matter – even small ones. For more information about Patient Safety, visit the SHA Intranet page and watch for upcoming education opportunities. Consider completing one of the Patient Safety Week activities linked on the Patient Safety Intranet page. To all staff, leaders and physicians, thank you for your dedication to creating safe environments for patients, families, physicians, staff and volunteers. Your commitment supports our mission to improve health and well-being; every day, for everyone. Together, we will continue shaping safer patient care and improving health outcomes for everyone in Saskatchewan. | Public Service Announcements and News Releases | SGEU and SAHO Inc. reach Tentative AgreementThe Saskatchewan Government Employees Union (SGEU) representing health care workers have reached a new tentative collective bargaining agreement for a six-year term (April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2029) with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations Inc. (SAHO). 🔗 View full release | Saskatchewan launches new Respiratory Therapy Training ProgramSaskatchewan's first-ever respiratory therapy program has welcomed its first cohort of students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Regina campus. This new program marks an important milestone for health care education in the province and will help meet the ongoing need for respiratory therapists. 🔗 View full release | Construction of the new Grenfell Long-Term Care Home reaches halfway pointConstruction of the new Grenfell Long-Term Care (LTC) Home has reached 50 per cent completion. Work to date includes completion of wood framing and progressing to complete exterior finishes and roofing. Work on the interior continues with drywalling underway. Site grading and concrete work is underway with paving expected to be completed shortly. 🔗 View full release | New Weyburn General Hospital celebrates grand openingThe Government of Saskatchewan, along with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and Weyburn and District Hospital Foundation, marked the grand opening of the new Weyburn General Hospital (WGH) today with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The WGH will open to patients November 1, 2026. 🔗 View full release | SHA CARES - Living our Values | When Pam Kresowaty was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2024, being able to receive chemotherapy in Yorkton made a difficult time a little easier. Travelling to Saskatoon for treatment would have meant a five-hour round trip. Receiving care in Yorkton cut that travel time to about two hours, a significant difference during weeks when she was making regular visits 🔗 View full CARES story | Turning Our Commitment into Action | Truth and Reconciliation in Social Work Practice – Moving Beyond Good Intentions to Create Meaningful Change📅October 28, 2026 🕑2:30 p.m.
Presenter: Cassie Stehanski, First Nations University of Canada
This presentation will examine the TRC and Calls to Action, highlight the importance of self-reflection, and discuss challenges and opportunities in providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive care. Participants will leave with practical tools and strategies to support meaningful reconciliation efforts in their daily practice.
Be sure to check out the SHA’s Registered Social Workers SharePoint!
If you have questions, contact Brina Down, Manager of Professional Practice, Social Work. 📄 Poster 🔗 Register | Recognition and Appreciation | Respiratory Therapy (RT) WeekRespiratory therapists are specialists in cardiorespiratory care and are essential to the provision of care across our health-care systems. There are more than 12,000 registered respiratory therapists (RRTs) working on the frontlines, providing essential care in Canada. Thank you to all RTs across the province of Saskatchewan for everything you do for your patients and care teams. 🔗 Learn more | Celebrating Health Information Professionals Week October 19-23 was Health Information Professionals (HIPs) week. Health Information Professionals play a vital role in ensuring the accuracy, quality, privacy, and security of health information. Their expertise supports patient care, health system planning, research, decision-making, and regulatory compliance. Every day, they work behind the scenes to ensure that the right information is available to the right people at the right time. As health-care continues to evolve in an increasingly digital environment, Health Information Professionals remain at the forefront of managing health data, supporting innovation, and advancing safe, high-quality care for patients and communities. Please join us in thanking and celebrating our Health Information Management teams and all Health Information Professionals for their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to excellence. Thank you for the important work you do every day. Pictured below are members of the HIM team in Prince Albert! | Celebrating Occupational Therapy Month 2026October is Occupational Therapy Month, and October 27 marks World Occupational Therapy Day. This year's theme, "Participation Matters," recognizes the importance of everyday activities, roles, and routines in supporting health, wellbeing, and quality of life. Throughout the month, we celebrate Occupational Therapists across Saskatchewan for their expertise, compassion, and commitment to helping people participate in activities that are meaningful to them. By addressing physical, cognitive, emotional, environmental, and social barriers, Occupational Therapists help patients and clients build independence, overcome challenges, and engage more fully in daily life. Across the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Occupational Therapists play a vital role in patient care through clinical practice, advocacy, innovation, and professional leadership. We sincerely thank them for their dedication and the meaningful difference they make in the lives of patients, clients, families, and communities across the province. | Yorkton Regional Health Centre - Using Blood Wisely Hospital designationCongratulations to Yorkton Regional Health Centre on achieving its Using Blood Wisely Hospital designation. This accomplishment marks an important milestone, making Yorkton the final Advanced Transfusion Medicine Testing site in Saskatchewan to achieve this national designation. 🔗 View full story | Children’s Mental Health Services - Go blue for OctoberChildren’s Mental Health Services team is supporting Buffalo Child and Youth Advocacy Centre’s campaign to #GoBlue for October in support of Prevention of Child Abuse.
People who harm children thrive in silence and secrecy. Together we can help break that silence. CMHS challenges other departments to do the same. | Fall immunization available for health-care providersInfluenza and COVID-19 vaccinations are being administered at Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) immunization clinics, participating pharmacies and some physician and nurse practitioner offices across the province. It is important for staff and physicians to receive annual influenza vaccinations and be up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations to protect themselves, their patients, clients, colleagues, and communities. Nearly 120 staff immunization clinics are being held across the province in the month of October. To search for a clinic in a community and facility near you, visit Occupational Health Nursing | Staff Safety. If these times or locations are not convenient for you, check whether a peer immunizer is available at your facility or department. Staff and physicians can also visit SHA fall immunization clinics, participating pharmacies, and family physician and nurse practitioner offices. Visit 4flu.ca for more information. | eHealth: Health card renewal stickers – alerting patients about returned mailHealth card renewal packages with stickers extending health coverage to Dec. 31, 2029, have now been sent to all Saskatchewan households. Stickers are frequently returned to eHealth because of incorrect or out-of-date addresses. Returned mail is flagged in PHRS View, and eHealth is asking for your help to let residents know to update their information with eHealth. If you’re searching for a record in PHRS View – for example when a patient arrives for an appointment or is admitted to hospital – you’ll notice a yellow call-out box asking you to advise the patient that their renewal sticker was returned, and to contact eHealth to update their address. Your support in sharing that message with your patients will ensure their coverage can continue without interruption. Visit ehealthsask.ca for more information and instructions. | Change in COVID-19 Contact TracingEffective immediately, COVID-19 contact tracing in acute care will be conducted on high-risk patient care areas only, including Intensive Care Units, Coronary Care Units, Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Pediatric Intensive Care Units, transplant units, and inpatient oncology units. Contact tracing will no longer be conducted on other acute care units. As COVID-19 has evolved, it is now similar to other respiratory viruses that circulate regularly in our communities. While COVID-19 can still cause serious illness for some individuals, current patterns of illness and population immunity are significantly different from those experienced during the pandemic. Patients with COVID-19 will continue to be managed using Droplet/Contact Plus Precautions in accordance with current Infection Prevention and Control guidance. Contact tracing will continue in high-risk units as an added precaution to help protect patients who may be at increased risk of severe outcomes. Updated contact tracing documents reflecting this change will be posted shortly on the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Documents webpage. This approach will be reviewed periodically to ensure it continues to support patient safety and quality care. 🔗 COVID-19 Contact Tracing Documents 🔗 IPAC-G-0001 Transmission Based Precautions Table | Outpatient IV Iron Doses now captured on PIP and eHR ViewerAdult outpatient IV iron infusions administered through the SHA Iron Deficiency Anemia Management Program (IDAMP) are now uploaded directly to PIP and the eHR Viewer as completed dispenses. This update resolves historical visibility gaps between regional paper records and provincial systems, enhancing medication reconciliation, continuity of care, and patient safety across Saskatchewan. See the attached memo for more information and guidance for infusion sites to ensure doses are promptly uploaded. For more information and to ensure a seamless implementation, sites administering outpatient IV iron are encouraged to attend one of two upcoming virtual webinars on November 17 (1:15pm) or November 19 (11:30am). There will be time for a brief Q&A after each session. 🔗 View full memo | Antimicrobial Resistant Organism Management GuidelinesInfection Prevention and Control has made the following updates to their documents: - Antimicrobial Resistant Organism Management Guidelines:
- In the sections on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE), clarified that the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) exemption for visitors not providing direct care is for patients on Contact Precautions only (i.e., not those on Droplet/Contact Precautions). b. Updated the list of indwelling devices that would not be swabbed in Appendix A.
- Transmission Based Precautions Table:
- In the MRSA and VRE entries, clarified that the PPE exemption for visitors not providing direct care is for patients on Contact Precautions only (i.e., not those on Droplet/Contact Precautions).
- Updated COVID-19 entry to reflect a change in the Contact Tracing of patient cases process. Only close contacts on high-risk inpatient units (i.e., ICU, CCU, NICU, PICU, Transplant, Oncology) will need to be placed on Droplet/Contact Plus Precautions.
- Repaired broken hyperlinks
| Policy Reviews and Changes | NEW: Indigenous Smudging Ceremony Policy (SHA-04-007) The Indigenous Smudging Ceremony Policy (SHA-04-007) is now in effect. All SHA Team Members are required to review this policy and include: - Staff;
- Practitioner Staff;
- Learners;
- Contractors;
- Contracted Individuals;
- Volunteers;
- Patient Family Partners (PFPs) and
- Knowledge Keepers
🔗 Review on e-Learn | Safe Driving ProcedureThe Safe Driving Procedure has been renewed for another four years. This procedure applies to the following team members: - Staff
- Practitioner Staff
- Contracted Individuals
- Patient and Family Partners
- Knowledge Keepers
- Volunteers
- Learners
- Contractors
Staff are required to review all renewed policies and procedures in SHA’s E-Learn. 🔗 Review on e-Learn | Clinical Documentation and Communication StandardsCS-CDCS-0014 Consent - Informed - Reorganized content into sections for improved clarity and readability.
- Expanded guidance on capacity, authority to consent, responsibility for obtaining consent, and delegation
- Clarified consent form and documentation requirements.
- Added guidance for electronic signatures, patients physically unable to sign, and consent renewal/reconsideration.
- Revised telephone and virtual consent requirements, including removal of the general witness requirement and clarification of identity and SDM verification.
- Added guidance for situations where the practitioner is off-site and the patient is on-site.
- Added requirements related to medical research programs.
- Added related resources and updated references.
- Reorganized content for clarity and ease of use.
- Added/clarified discharge communication and documentation requirements.
- Updated Advance Care Planning and continuity-of-care guidance.
- Added Allied Health discharge documentation requirements and timelines.
- Clarified practitioner requirements for transfers, short stays, and delayed discharges.
- Added Patient Departure Procedure and related resources.
CS-CDCS-0021 – Discharge or Episodic Care Separation Refer to the following for more information: - Clinical Documentation and Communication Standards list for a complete catalogue of standards
- Clinical Documentation and Communication Standards Quick Reference Update Guide
- Clinical Documentation and Communication Resources webpage for more resources.
Use the Interprofessional Inquiry form for any questions. | Updates to Antibiotic Resistant Organism (ARO) Management Guidelines and Transmission Based Precautions Table Infection Prevention and Control has made the following updates to their documents: - Antimicrobial Resistant Organism Management Guidelines:
- In the sections on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE), clarified that the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) exemption for visitors not providing direct care is for patients on Contact Precautions only (i.e., not those on Droplet/Contact Precautions).
- Updated the list of indwelling devices that would not be swabbed in Appendix A.
- Transmission Based Precautions Table:
- In the MRSA and VRE entries, clarified that the PPE exemption for visitors not providing direct care is for patients on Contact Precautions only (i.e., not those on Droplet/Contact Precautions).
- Updated COVID-19 entry to reflect a change in the Contact Tracing of patient cases process. Only close contacts on high-risk inpatient units (i.e., ICU, CCU, NICU, PICU, Transplant, Oncology) will need to be placed on Droplet/Contact Plus Precautions.
- Repaired broken hyperlinks.
| Events and Professional Development | Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation - Breast Health Centre Silent Auction | 📅October 26 - 30 🔗Poster - Donated items will be accepted until October 22 | National Health Ethics Week Sessions | Free online suicide prevention training📅 On demand - 60 days to complete📍Virtual 🔗 Learn more/Register | Privacy Training – Foundations in MyWork📅 On demand 📍Virtual 🔗 Learn more | LEAP Training Sessions📅 November 27, December 3, 7📍Virtual 🔗 Register | ECHO Autism SK - Supporting Mental Health Across the School Years📅 November 10, 24, January 12, 26, February 9
📍Virtual 🔗 Register/Learn more | Continuing Medical Education - Webinars, Conferences, and Courses | 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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