Kenneth Brown
of The Crossroads
It has been several years since babies have been born in Kindersley on a regular basis, but a new obstetrics program will be starting up early in September.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced on Aug. 24 that a revitalized obstetrics program is going to start on Sept. 4 at the Kindersley & District Health Centre. The release states that extensive development was undertaken to revitalize the obstetrics program in Kindersley and to create a team of health care professionals with the qualifications, training and medical privileges necessary to provide low-risk obstetrical services.
A Primary Health Care Service Needs Assessment was conducted for Kindersley and after consultations with stakeholders, the final report was released in 2015 and it identified that the lack of obstetrical services is a major gap in the women’s health program.
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Gayle Riendeau, executive director of acute care for SHA integrated rural health, said the work to establish a program in Kindersley has taken a long time to complete, but the wait is over and it is exciting news in the community.
“We’re excited that we’re finally at this stage,” she said, recognizing that it has been a work in progress. “We’re happy we’re now at this stage where we can say that we are ready to proceed with what will be a revitalized obstetrical program for Kindersley & District Health Centre.”
The needs assessment was commissioned by the defunct Heartland Regional Health Authority, Town of Kindersley and the ministry of health. Work on the assessment began early in 2014, and one of the more anticipated recommendations is being fulfilled next week.
Riendeau, who was part of senior management for Heartland, said the former obstetrics program in Kindersley was considered to be a low-risk program, so nothing is changing with respect to what could be done by physicians at the district health centre.
She noted that the term low-risk is attached for the benefit of the public. Women will discuss their preferences, needs and specific situations during pre-natal care visits with their physicians to determine if they could have their babies in Kindersley or would have to travel to the city to give birth.
The physicians in Kindersley will have the capacity to do Caesarean sections with their numbers and privileges as part of the new program, Riendeau explained. She said multiple births such as twins or triplets will be done in the city.
Furthermore, she said a breach or situation where the baby is going to be born feet first would also require the birth to happen in Saskatoon. Women with underlying medical conditions will likely have to travel to the city, but the pre-natal discussions will help to determine the plan.
Riendeau said the health care team in Kindersley knows the scope of the program, so the team will ensure the right choice is made for the patient. She noted that health officials just want people to know about the option for low-risk services in Kindersley.
“We hope to build and grow the program over a period of time,” she said, recognizing that the patient’s condition and situation will be re-evaluated throughout the pregnancy to ensure the child could be born in the low-risk environment.
The service could be accessed by people from surrounding communities or by anyone who wants to give birth in Kindersley. Riendeau said the people could decide to give birth in another community of their choice.
Kindersley now has six physicians, but one of the physicians is leaving the group at the Kindersley Clinic. The existing complement will still allow for a smooth program start up, and officials were working to recruit another physician before the announcement, Riendeau said.
According to Riendeau, the physicians and nurses on the obstetrics health care team in Kindersley have done a tremendous amount of work to prepare for the program. She said the nurses and physicians that helped to train staff from Kindersley deserve a great deal of credit for their part in the process. She thanked everyone involved.
Tom Geiger, a long-time director for the Kindersley and District Health and Wellness Foundation, is chairperson for the Kindersley Community Advisory Network (CAN). The Kindersley CAN came out of a working group of local officials and members after the needs assessment.
He noted that there were several other challenges and recommendations from the assessment, so the CAN would now be able to focus on those other areas. He said the focus of the CAN has been women’s health, and obstetrics is important.
“I’m thinking more about the patients,” he said, recognizing that the program will be nicer for patients. “Some of them won’t have to travel to the city anymore and that’s kind of the real main reason for helping out as much as we have, just so that we can get back to more of a normal situation for people that are expecting.”
The chairperson said he believes the transition to a single health authority has helped officials to co-ordinate efforts to make the obstetrics program a reality in Kindersley. It has proven to be a fruitful partnership between local and provincial officials, he said.
Mayor Rod Perkins of Kindersley said it is “absolutely great” to get an obstetrics program going again in the region. He said the physician group, health foundation, CAN, and municipal councils have been working hard to make the program happen for well over a full year, so “it is great news.”
He said he is under the impression that physician recruitment and retention would continue to be a focal point for the community. The program is important because Kindersley is a young community and people are going to have children, Perkins added.
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