SHA says new long-term care home will help with Saskatoon hospital capacity issues [Video]

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has opened a new long-term care facility just outside of Saskatoon in an effort to deal with overcrowding in the city’s hospitals.

In a news release Wednesday morning, Health Minister Everett Hindley and the SHA said the Cozy Nest Care Home in the RM of Dundurn will provide 83 new long term care beds — part of its capacity pressure action plan announced in November.

The action plan came in the wake of revelations that the emergency department at Saskatoon’s St. Paul’s Hospital had failed a fire department inspection as beds were lining hallways and covering emergency exits.

The plan included efforts to shore up other forms of care to reduce non-urgent visits to the emergency room.

According to the province, Cozy Nest will provide a space to transition from hospital back to the community.