To: The Community of Esterhazy and Surrounding Area
From: Nicole Smalley – Executive Director for Emmanuel HealthCare at St. Anthony’s Hospital
Dear Community Members,
I would like to begin by extending my sincere gratitude to the residents of Esterhazy and the surrounding area for your continued support of St. Anthony’s Hospital. Your dedication, patience, and commitment enable us to deliver the exceptional healthcare our community deserves.
We recognize that the ongoing bypass situations have caused frustration. At present, we have three physicians and two nurse practitioners serving our community, and we are actively recruiting at least two additional physicians. Successfully filling these positions will significantly reduce the frequency of bypasses. In the meantime, we continue to utilize the Virtual Physician Program to help maintain emergency room operations.
Virtual Physician Program
This program, used across Saskatchewan, connects emergency departments with physicians via telephone or video call. It enables us to keep the Emergency Department open during times of limited onsite coverage. However, when multiple sites require this service simultaneously, we may be placed on a waitlist, resulting in temporary bypasses. To mitigate this, we submit our staffing needs to the program up to three months in advance.
Laboratory and X-Ray Services
Currently, two of our full-time CLXT (combined lab and x-ray technologist) staff are on maternity leave. One of these staff members will return full-time in December. We continue to recruit for both full-time and casual positions to ensure consistent service coverage.
Nursing
All nursing positions are currently filled. We continue to post casual positions to support coverage for holidays and short-notice absences.
Administrative and Support Services
All permanent positions within Administration, Health Records, Environmental Services, Laundry, and Maintenance are filled. Casual positions remain open to provide coverage as needed.
Thank you again for your ongoing trust and support. Please know that we are doing everything possible to minimize bypass situations and strengthen our healthcare team. Your patience and understanding are deeply appreciated as we continue to recruit and retain skilled professionals to serve this community.
Sincerely,
Nicole Smalley
Executive Director
Emmanuel HealthCare – St. Anthony’s Hospital