Manitoba Health advises that a cluster of whooping cough (pertussis) has now been declared as an outbreak in Southern Health-Santé Sud, as cases continue to be reported. As of June 23, 154 confirmed or probable cases have been reported to Manitoba Health since January, with 152 of them reported from Southern Health-Santé Sud.
To read the complete news release, access the Province of Manitoba | News Release.
This month we are celebrating Pride and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community. The members of this community are our colleagues, patients and members of the community we serve. Southern Health-Santé Sud is proud to support the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community by participating in various pride parades throughout the month of May and June.
On May 27, staff from Public Health-Healthy Living proudly supported Southern Health-Santé Sud by participating in the Portage la Prairie Pride Parade. Staff from Public Health-Healthy Living also participated in the Pembina Valley Pride Parade on June 10, 2023. Thank you to all that came out to support these meaningful events.
Southern Health-Santé Sud is committed to working toward an environment that disrupts hateful and harmful behaviors and creates a more inclusive experience for all.
Construction is well underway for the new Portage Regional Health Centre in Southern Health-Santé Sud. The new facility will offer more inpatient beds, expanded medicine and surgical capacity, and an improved emergency department to serve Portage la Prairie and surrounding communities, Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced today.
“Our government is healing the health-care system by expanding access to health services and providing rural communities with the care they need closer to home,” said Gordon. “The new 269,000-sq.-ft. hospital will strengthen clinical services for residents of Portage la Prairie and surrounding communities and supports the delivery of high-quality care in a rapidly growing area of our province.”
To read the complete news release, access the Province of Manitoba | News Release.
Southern Health-Santé Sud would like to thank the 11 communities/clinics, gracious hosts, and the first-year medical students who participated in Rural Week May 29 – June 2, 2023. We were thrilled to welcome over 30 students at various locations across our region. Communities, clinics, hospitals, and other health facilities contributed to the success of this initiative. We are very thankful to the communities of Crystal City, Morden, Morris, Niverville, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Portage la Prairie, St. Claude, St. Pierre Jolys, Steinbach, Winkler, and Vita who made this possible. In addition to the U of M students who participated in Rural Week, St. Pierre/Vita also hosted two bilingual students from the University of Ottawa the week of May 23-26, 2023. These two students are originally from Manitoba and are attending medical school at the University of Ottawa.
Rural Week is a one week learning experience for all first-year medical students enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Rural Week provides an opportunity for the students to get first-hand experience and exposure to rural and northern medicine and the unique lifestyle these communities offer. It is an opportunity for participating communities to showcase what their communities have to offer and promote the opportunities and benefits of rural and northern medicine.
Students spent the week gaining exposure to the work and lifestyle of a rural physician, and experienced some aspects of rural life. Each students experience has been unique, and would have included opportunities to work with local physicians and other health care professionals. In addition to this, some students may have participated in presenting to a local high school, meeting with different leaders in the community, visiting local farms, and other opportunities to explore some of the local attractions.
We truly appreciate the efforts of the staff, clinics, physician leaders and community members who contributed to the success of this initiative. Recruitment is a group effort and we would like to acknowledge the investment of recruitment and retention efforts by these groups of individuals who work tirelessly in providing a positive experience to these students.
Construction for the new Portage Regional Health Centre is well underway. A community information session was held on March 22, 2023 at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie. This session included an overview presentation, question and answer period and the opportunity to view several images displayed for public viewing.
The 269,0002ft facility will have 114 acute care patient beds, including medicine, surgical, rehabilitation, palliative care, maternity and special care. Every room will be single occupancy with a personal bathroom with shower, built in ergonomic supports such as ceiling tracks and mobility friendly features to ensure optimal safety throughout.
The new building design was inspired by the shape of crescent lake in Portage la Prairie, and incorporates existing elements of nature found in the area. One of the most prominent features of the new design is the emphasis on natural light. Large windows have been incorporated into the design and featured in every room, ensuring as much natural light as possible. Other exciting features include significant technology upgrades such as electronic health records, monitoring systems, automated dispensing cabinets, and switchable privacy glass.
Southern Health-Santé Sud is committed to building and maintaining strong partnerships with Indigenous peoples and communities in order to continue to improve and sustain culturally safe programs and services, and the health care system as a whole. In line with this goal, a new cultural space with a design informed by Indigenous partners, will be featured in the new regional health centre.
The design phase for the schematic phase is nearing the final stages. Staff and physicians have been engaged throughout the design process with several opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback. One of the critical phases of the design process included the creation of a 3D mock-up space for physicians and clinical staff to provide critical feedback on room designs and layout. Clinical staff from all specialties were invited to experience and analyze the true to size layouts of 14 clinical spaces including inpatient room, CancerCare treatment space, Emergency Department exam room and treatment bay, trauma room, operating theatre, clean supply room and many other clinical spaces.
The mockup spaces included true to size furniture, medical equipment, electrical outlets and windows made to exact dimensions. This setup allowed staff to orient themselves and provide very detailed feedback that ultimately resulted in several informed changes to the design and layout of these spaces.
This is the first instance of a mockup space for a Manitoba hospital project. The feedback from this endeavor will not only inform the design of the new Portage Regional Health Centre, but it will also inform other capital projects in the Southern Health-Santé Sud region.
To view the full tour of the Mock-up space, click here.
The new facility in Portage la Prairie is due to be completed in the fall of 2025.
We value your feedback. Please reach out to us via email with any questions or concerns you may have regarding this project.
Southern Health-Santé Sud works in partnership with facilities, also known as Affiliate Health Care Corporations within the Southern Health-Santé Sud region.
Partnering with our communities, we provide safe, accessible and sustainable people-centred health care.
