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SHA announces reduced hours at Regina Urgent Care Centre for 2nd time in a week

In a news release issued Thursday morning, the SHA said operational hours at the centre have been reduced to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST on Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST on Saturday, and it will be fully closed to the public on Sunday.

Operational hours reduced for Friday and Saturday, centre closed all day Sunday

Laura Sciarpelletti · CBC News ·
A single storey, green and white building in Regina with a sign reading Urgent Care Centre.
In a news release issued Thursday morning, the SHA said operational hours at the centre have been reduced to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST on Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST on Saturday, and it will be fully closed to the public on Sunday. (Matt Howard/CBC-Radio Canada)

Further reductions to operating hours are set to go into effect at the Regina Urgent Care Centre (UCC) beginning Friday. 

This comes after the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) temporarily reducing its operating hours on July 6 to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The centre is typically open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. CST every day.

In a news release issued Thursday morning, the SHA said operational hours at the centre have been reduced to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, and it will be fully closed to the public on Sunday.

The Regina UCC will return to regular hours of operation on Monday. The SHA said the reason for the reduction is once again physician availability.

The facility, located on Albert Street in Regina's North Central neighbourhood, opened in July 2024. Its purpose is to ease pressure on Regina's emergency rooms by treating patients with non-life threatening injuries that still require same-day care. It also provides blood testing, diagnostic imaging, pharmacy services and mental health support.

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP said on Monday that hour reductions are proof that the province is failing to live up to its health care promises.

"The government talks a lot about having the most aggressive recruitment strategy, but the problem is that we're not retaining the employees that we have," Saskatchewan NDP associate health critic Keith Jorgenson said. 

When the UCC first opened, then-Saskatchewan Health Minister Everett Hindley predicted it would receive 20,000 visits per year. At the time, the centre was widely expected to be open 24 hours a day by fall 2024.

In Thursday's news release, the SHA thanked physicians, health-care providers and staff for their "ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality care at health facilities across the province."

Outside of UCC operating hours, anyone requiring urgent care should call 911 or proceed to the nearest hospital emergency department at Regina General Hospital or Pasqua Hospital.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Sciarpelletti

Journalist & Radio Columnist

Laura is a journalist for CBC Saskatchewan. She also hosts and newsreads on CBC Radio One. Laura is the community reporter for CBC's Land of Living Stories series and the arts and culture radio column Queen City Scene Setter, which airs on CBC's The Morning Edition. Laura previously worked at CBC Toronto for network radio, and as a journalist at CBC Vancouver. Some of her former work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, NYLON Magazine, VICE Canada and The Tyee. Laura specializes in human interest, arts and health care coverage. She holds a Master of Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia. Send Laura news tips at laura.sciarpelletti@cbc.ca

    With files from Chris Edwards

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