Noted Milestones in Northern Part of PMH Region

Looking back 20 years ago around this time, staff and the public at several facilities in the northern part of what is now Prairie Mountain Health region were just getting used to their new sites.

In September 2005, the new Swan Valley Health Centre opened in Swan River. The old Swan River Valley Hospital experienced mold contamination  and was demolished. Many in the area will remember how residents had to deal with services scattered around Swan River in temporary locations while the new facility was being built.

Staff from Manitoba Health, the Parkland Regional Health Authority and Swan Valley Health Facilities worked together at the time to complete a comprehensive plan for the new hospital. Extensive community consultations were held to review program and service details of the new facility.

When it opened, the new health centre feature a brand new Emergency Department. Diagnostic services, such as laboratory testing, ultrasound and diagnostic imaging were included.

And importantly, the new facility would house home-care, mental-health, public-health and services including occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech language pathology, all under one roof.

In the planning, space was set aside to ensure dialysis services needs would eventually be available in the Swan Valley region, which occurred when the program started in November 2006.

Since opening, a cataract surgery program began in 2012 and most recently, diagnostic services were enhanced when a CT Scanner was added to the hospital in mid-2024.

Swan Valley Primary Care Centre

In keeping with the anniversary theme, the Swan Valley Primary Care Centre, which opened in the summer of 2015, recently noted 10 years of serving patients, clients and residents of the Swan River area. The Primary Care Centre is conveniently located across the street from the Swan Valley Health Centre, which greatly assists the advanced access model with an added focus on collaborative care.

The primary care clinic is where you receive the majority of your health care needs and helps support continuous and coordinated care throughout a patient’s life.

The primary care staff at the SVPCC are part of the Swan River My Health Team.  My Health Teams are multidisciplinary teams of professions (from various jurisdictions) who work together to improve access to health care services. Each My Health Team (MyHT) is uniquely developed to meet the needs of the community they serve.

When first established, the SVPCC initially offered primary care appointments and primary care outreach services. 

Now, thanks to active recruitment and retention efforts and ongoing planning, an enhanced health care complement is providing greater access to services, which is helping divert pressures from the hospital’s emergency room. Recruitment over the years has included adding family doctors, nurse practitioners, a physician assistant and a My Health Team. The My Health Team is comprised of both Licensed Practical and Registered Nurses, a Service Navigator and Community Health Facilitator that provide focused care to vulnerable client populations.

Photo Credit Swan Valley Star and Times

Photo Credit Swan Valley Star and Times