Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

Saskatchewan’s health system continues to undergo a major transition and health foundations will continue to play an important role in the areas they serve.

The Kindersley and District Health and Wellness Foundation (KDHWF) Inc. has been supporting health care in Kindersley for several years. The foundation has invested nearly $4.3 million to support health care needs since March 2001, according to its records.

Investments include capital purchasers, education for health care employees, support for recruitment and retention, and support for various other groups and initiatives related to the needs in Kindersley. The range of investments since 2001 is broad, according to a list of expenditures.

The KDHWF is a charitable organization and its funds help to support the Kindersley & District Health Centre, along with local health care workers, emergency responders and physicians working in the community.

Funding for the foundation comes from a range of donations and grants from seven area municipalities. The foundation has run the odd fundraising campaign such as its Revitalize-A-Room campaign in 2016 that raised money for room upgrades at the health centre, but a spokesperson says specific fundraisers are rare.

The foundation works with a range of groups such as the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), Kindersley Regional Medical Arts Authority, local Community Advisory Network (CAN) and the Kindersley Clinic. The foundation has a volunteer board with seven current members.

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Richard MacDougall, a KDHWF director for several years, said the foundation works closely with the SHA and the ministry of health. Representatives from the foundation meet with SHA and facility staff in Kindersley to discuss local needs.

“We’re in communication with SHA and we’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll have a good working relationship,” he said, recognizing the foundation knows of a couple key items that need to be addressed soon and the partners will share their priorities in the future.

He noted that the foundation is a link between the SHA and supporters of health care from Kindersley and region. Donations are made to the foundation and money is placed in reserves to be used in line with the wishes of donors, or as in line as possible given the situation, he said.

MacDougall said the foundation respects the wishes of donors and it works very hard to be a good steward of their money. The foundation does its best to advocate for what is needed and doable in Kindersley while respecting the wishes of supporters.

Donations come from community members, funding partners, long-time supporters and municipalities. MacDougall said people from across west central Saskatchewan come to Kindersley to get medical care, so it is a regional centre. People from east central Alberta also come to Kindersley for care, he commented.

The single largest area of expense since 2001 has been specialist recruitment and retention, but it has only been a regular expense since 2011-12. Specialist recruitment and retention has become an annual expense for the foundation.

A total of nearly $1.96 million has been spent on specialist recruitment and retention since 2011-12, and the number represents more than 45 per cent of KDHWF expenditures since 2001. MacDougall confirmed it as the foundation’s largest area of expense.

Direct financial support is provided to new physicians in exchange for their service, so they sign a standard return of service contract. MacDougall said the foundation has helped “to make it equitable and reasonable” for new physicians to practice medicine in Kindersley.

The foundation’s list of expenditures since 2001 is not limited to capital purchases. The purchases listed in the 2001-02 fiscal year include $46,700 for the community’s handi-bus, and $100,000 for cardiac stress equipment, Telehealth equipment, surgical equipment, a nurse call system and physician recruitment and retention.

In 2002-03, the foundation made another large purchase of $131,000 for a new medical air and vacuum system for the health centre. The hospital and long-term care sides of the facility have been supported by numerous expenditures.

Funds from the foundation have also supported other groups in recent years. The KDHWF has provided funds to purchase equipment for the fire department, Pathway to Wellness and various other groups. Expenditures listed under public relations have included a defibrillator for the West Central Events Centre, a bench for the Kindersley Walking Trail and donor boards to name three of the purchases.

Other larger expenditures throughout the years include $221,000 for X-Ray equipment in 2007-08, $192,000 for Ultrasound equipment in 2008-09 and $67,500 for an anesthetic equipment in 2011-12. The foundation has spent thousands of dollars on education, training, bursaries and awards.

All of the expenditures have been important, MacDougall said. The foundation’s current chairperson is Ken McBride, and the organization has yet to name a new vice-chairperson since the death of Don Fuhrman, he noted.

The foundation is focused both on local and regional needs, he said. If people have a desire to fund health care in Kindersley, he said they could make a donation to the foundation and information about how to donate is available on the KDHWF website. The foundation appreciates its supporters, he said.

Gayle Riendeau, the SHA executive director of rural acute for the southwest service area, said SHA officials met with the foundation early in March. She said health care has moved from districts to regions to a single authority and the foundation has been part of it.

“Maintaining those local connections is one of the priorities for the Saskatchewan Health Authority,” she said, recognizing that it was a goal for the SHA all along and she believes it is a positive situation for the authority.

She said the role of foundations has not changed due to the transition to a single health authority, and neither have the processes in place for foundations. If anything, the role will be bolstered and the health authority has benefitted from a good working relationship and strong collaboration with the KDHWF, Riendeau added.

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