Raising money to build new regional health facilities got a little easier for municipalities last week when the Saskatchewan government announced it would pay a larger share.
For years, the province paid 65 percent of the cost of long-term care facilities and communities paid 35 percent.
Raising that amount has been a struggle for many municipalities, and delegates attending the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association’s February convention passed a resolution calling on the province to pay the entire cost.
Last week, health minister Don McMorris didn’t go that far but did announce an 80-20 cost-share arrangement.
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The new formula will cost the government an extra $40 million per year but will save money for communities and rural municipalities.
“We were going to have to borrow,” said Kim Carlson, chair of the Redvers and District Community Health Foundation. “It’s a huge saving to us.”
The foundation was looking to raise $3.6 million for a new long-term care facilitybutwillseethat cutby $1.2million.
Carlson said the changes mean the tenders can go out soon and construction could start in the fall.
The 24-bed facility will be added onto the former Centennial long-term care home built in 1967. The old facility will be converted to offices for the Sun Country Health Region, physiotherapy rooms, and maintenance and storage areas.
Maple Creek mayor Barry Rudd said the formula change allows his community’s project to include services it was holding out for, such as diabetes treatment and chemotherapy rooms.
The town and eight RMs had to raise $12 million and had no problem doing so. Rudd said several people took it upon themselves to raise money and within two weeks had pledges for the entire amount.
Some people are paying $250 per year for the next 10 years to see the kind of health care they want, he said. The town’s share is $3 million.
“You can’t afford not to (spend the money),” he said. “We’ve lost so many services it’s basically a Band-Aid station.”
He said the project should go to tender by fall.
McMorris said the government kept its share below 100 percent because communities need ownership of their projects.
“We have an aging infrastructure,” he said. “We want to make sure that communities have a portion of (ownership) but we want to make it easier.”
The province’s share will be booked into the current fiscal year, thanks to a strong economy and better than expected revenue.
HEALTH SPENDING
The total announcement was worth $133.1 million:
•$8 million for electronic health records to develop a one patient/ one record health information system
•$7.1 million for significant repair and upgrade to Parkridge Centre in Saskatoon
•$5 million to Moose Jaw Union Hospital upgrade
•$500,000 to Melfort CT services
•$10.5 million for physician recruitment and retention
•$10 million to pay for more doctors
