North Battleford hospital gets $1M boost
A fundraising campaign for the new Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford wrapped up this week after Gordon and Jill Rawlinson donated $1 million toward the centre.
The Saskatchewan Hospital New Beginnings campaign had hoped to reach $8 million. It has now netted more than $9 million, with the excess cash going toward a legacy fund to support mental health care in the future.
Linda Shynkaruk, director of the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford, said the success of the fundraising campaign means the hospital will be fully equipped with “modern, appropriate items that meet the latest safety and infection-control standards — everything from patient beds, tables and chairs, to dietary equipment, machinery for patient programs, and health-care equipment, including an on-site digital x-ray machine.”
The provincial psychiatric facility replaces the old 156-bed Saskatchewan Hospital, which had been in operation for more than a century. The new hospital has 284 beds, including 96 secure beds for male and female offenders living with mental-health issues. Patients started moving into the facility late last year.
The hospital was built under a public-private partnership (P3) agreement. The province invested $407 million in the project, including funding for 30 years of maintenance.