Health regions around the province are working with 3sHealth, the newly created shared services unit for the Ministry of Health, in an attempt to find a solution for Saskatchewan's aging and outdated central laundry service facilities.
Pamela Haupstein, vice-president of finance for Sun Country Health Region, is a member of a first-phase committee that is gathering information that can be used to help arrive at a decision this coming summer or early fall.
The move was made necessary in November 2011 when Saskatoon Health Region's central laundry facility had to be closed following a safety-related incident which highlighted the reality that many central laundry facilities are operating with aging equipment in less than ideal conditions.
While that situation doesn't exist in the southeast sector, Haupstein said it was determined there is still a need to review the six central medical laundry facilities in the province to see where improvements can be made and that might include further centralization.
That study does not include Estevan's health-related laundry service which is located in St. Joseph's Hospital. At one point a few years ago, an effort was made to move the hospital and nursing home's laundry services from Estevan to Weyburn, but according to St. Joe's executive director Greg Hoffort, "there was a push back," and the scheme was dropped since it was pointed out that the St. Joseph's laundering system was modern and met all requirements and to truck laundry materials between Weyburn and Estevan didn't make much economic sense.
A relatively updated service in Weyburn currently serves the hospital in that city as well as several other health facilities in Sun Country and they will be a part of the review. But St. Joe's, as an affiliate facility in the health region, won't be part of the scrutiny, said Haupstein.
"Right now our transition committee is gathering information and will be looking at options that will include either rebuilding some or all of the current six facilities, consolidation of services into fewer and larger sites, contracting the laundry service out to a third party, or a combination thereof," Haupstein added.
The information gathering will include a good look at life cycles of equipment and the decision-making will focus on cost analysis as well as involvement with union members who have been assured that all current contract agreements will be honoured.
"So far we know that the six regional laundry services do 75 per cent of the total non-personal laundry that is required by health-care facilities in Saskatchewan," Haupstein said.
Independent services such as those found at St. Joesph's, in small facilities in outlying areas or in personal long-term care facilities cover the other 25 per cent.
What is generally covered and part of the survey are such things as sheets, towels, cloths and other materials that need to be highly sterilized for use in hospitals and health centres on a regular basis.
"We'll be looking at any area where there might be an opportunity to trim costs from what is already in place. We don't want to miss anything," Haupstein. They're not going to cut corners either.
At the start, she said the committee was conducting meetings in one form or another three times a week. That has since been reduced to once-weekly sessions either in a group or through teleconferencing.
"We've been told that the study won't affect us. We do the St. Joe's and nursing home (Estevan Regional Nursing Home) laundry services right here in Estevan," said Hoffort.
"It's pretty efficient here. I believe it would be pretty tough to make a case where they could find it could be done more economically than what is already being done at St. Joe's. On a cost per-pound of laundry, I think it's pretty well in line," Hoffort said.
"Laundry employees need safe working environments, and we want to be able to continue ensuring the highest standards in infection control for health care patients and staff," said Andrew Will, CEO of 3sHealth. "Over the next few months, we will be working closely with health regions to examine the most promising avenues to a modern high-quality network of laundry services."
The six central laundry services that are coming into the review include Saskatoon, which is still shut down; Regina, Prince Albert, Yorkton, Moose Jaw and Weyburn.
