A new primary care clinic in Rosetown is hoping to offer a new and more timely way of accessing health care in west-central Saskatchewan. The Rosetown and District Primary Care Clinic celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, highlighting years of efforts to bring multiple health care professionals into one setting. “We see different facilities within communities, but when you can bring all of that together and putting patients first and having one location where people can come and access all of those services, it’s really fulfilling for myself to watch,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Lori Carr said. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) assumed control of Rosetown and District Primary Care Centre when it was located in downtown Rosetown and relocated it to the health centre on Highway 4 on April 1. Since then, work has been ongoing to revamp the clinic and make it a fully integrated location for patients to access. The centre currently has six physicians, a registered nurse, a behavioural health professional, a part-time pharmacist and multiple support staff. Rather than going to multiple different places for follow-up appointments, patients can access a variety of services down the hallway instead of down the highway. The team-based approach seen at this clinic has been an emphasis for the SHA in recent years, highlighted further in the Patients First Health Care Plan unveiled earlier this year. “Saskatchewan’s geography can present challenges for patients and care teams in rural communities,” Krista Barnett, SHA’s executive director of primary health care and integrated rural health, said. “A common experience included visiting a physician at one of two downtown locations, then traveling to the hospital to receive scans or lab or other tests, then returning downtown for follow-up appointments. The opening of this clinic improves the patient experience by making access to integrated care seamless.” Rosetown Mayor Trevor Hay says talks with the province about integrating services began in 2017. He says a number of people come to Rosetown from other communities for appointments. Rather than making multiple trips over many days or weeks, the new primary care clinic can handle most of their needs. “Lots of people travel here for clinic visits and care. So, it’s just phenomenal. I’m elated that this has happened and it’s very timely,” Hay said. Barnett says two more physicians are arriving in October and February, respectively, under an alternative payment model. Work is ongoing to hire a nurse practitioner to complement additional needs in the area. While this clinic aims to improve long-term health in the area, Carr says the province will also continue to optimize the system and work with a number of professions to expand their scope to enhance overall reliability.
