SHA Innovation Awards
SHA Innovation Awards
The SHA Innovation Awards are held annually as part of our ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of innovation within the Saskatchewan Health Authority. These Awards provide a platform to showcase and celebrate the exceptional efforts of individuals and teams who have contributed to innovative practices in healthcare. The SHA Innovation Awards recognize individuals, teams and projects that exemplify collaboration, creativity and a commitment to innovative problem-solving within our health care system.
There is an annual call for nominations that demonstrate:
Inspiration - This person or team has inspired others through their innovative efforts, demonstrating creativity and out-of-the-box thinking
Collaboration - The nominee makes a concerted effort to work with others, engaging stakeholders and patient partners in the innovation process
Impact - The idea had a direct impact on our system and patients due to the successful implementation of a novel idea or process within our health system
Nominees and award recipients alike exemplify collaboration, creativity and a commitment to innovative problem-solving within our health care system.
2024 Innovation Awards
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Creative Innovation Award: Carmen Valle - Senior Occupational Therapist, Rehabilitation Services, Saskatoon City Hospital
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Implemented a variety of innovative approaches to address healthcare challenges within Occupational Therapy, demonstrating an admirable 'can-do' leadership style crucial for fostering a culture of innovative practice within their team. Introduced group therapy sessions to increase capacity and integrated cutting-edge tools such as 3D printing and virtual reality systems to further enhance both tangible and intangible outcomes, ultimately improving the overall patient experience.
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Hand-in-Hand Innovation Award: Food Sharing Melfort - Mental Health and Addictions Team, Melfort
- Utilized a holistic, low-cost, ground-up approach to addressing client needs by providing meals alongside care services. Starting with donated soups and expanding to utilize surplus food from local sources, the project distributed over 800 meals to vulnerable clients, and enabled 25 harm reduction clients to connect with and receive crucial counseling services. This collaborative effort, involving community organizations like Rotary and local housing agencies, illustrates the power of coming together as a community to provide a holistic solution that addresses basic needs before treatment.
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Impact Innovation Award: Virtual Physician for the Emergency Department
- Through HealthLine 811, the Virtual Physician for the Emergency Department program uses digital health tools and technology to avoid temporary emergency department closures in rural communities. Nursing staff are able to assess patients and perform physical exams, then work with a physician virtually. Working remotely, the physician can order tests, reach a diagnosis, and provide treatment orders or refer to a higher level of care. The program has avoided 180 days of emergency department closures, with approximately 150 patients successfully cared for in Porcupine Plain, Oxbow, Davidson, and Broadview. Currently as many as 8-10 other sites are working towards using the program.
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Emerging Innovation Award: Pharmacy Care Pilot, Swift Current
- Through collaborative practice agreements, this project enabled pharmacists to assume expanded roles in medication management, disease education, and personalized support, revolutionizing the patient care experience. This pioneering initiative not only enhances patient outcomes but also amplifies patient satisfaction and engagement with healthcare services by increasing access to care and streamlining services – especially for mental health patients. This project exemplifies the positive and transformative real-world outcomes that result when policy review is included in the innovation process design.
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Patient Family Partners' Choice Award: Connected Community Care for The Core: Saskatoon Core/Downtown Network, Westside Community Clinic, Saskatoon Tribal Council - Urban Health Services
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This initiative recognizes the importance of hearing from those facing significant barriers by creating culturally appropriate spaces for authentic, empathetic conversations that center on the needs of underrepresented and underserved populations. This innovative engagement strategy not only improves services for local Indigenous people, addressing a recognized healthcare gap, but also sets a precedent for equitable, culturally sensitive healthcare practices. By prioritizing listening, trust-building, and co-creation, the initiative showcases the agility and dynamism necessary when seeking impactful and sustainable solutions to healthcare challenges.
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Patient Family Partners' Choice Honourable Mention: MRI-Ultrasound fusion for transperineal prostate biopsy - St. Paul's Hospital, Saskatoon
- This initiative introduced a safer method for prostate biopsies and leveraged new MRI-Ultrasound fusion technology, improving men’s health outcomes through significantly reduced infection risks and enhanced diagnostic accuracy. The leadership and collaboration demonstrated with various healthcare professionals exemplified a commitment to interdisciplinary teamwork, knowledge transfer, and patient-centered care. This initiative's impact on resource optimization demonstrated a deep understanding of healthcare efficiency, as evidenced by the reduction in ICU admissions and surgical suite usage.
2024 Nominations
Nominations were received for exemplary work and innovative practices from around the province including:
Nominee |
Community |
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| Palliative Family Hospice Project, Assiniboia Union Hospital | Assiniboia |
| Carmen Appleby - Therapies Recruitment and Retention, Regina General Hospital | Regina |
| Lafleche Primary Care Clinic Team - Improving Access | Lafleche |
| Five Year Plan Committee, Ross Payant Nursing Home | Assiniboia |
| Annette Zachow / Virtual Physician Program, HealthLine 811 | Multiple Rural Sites |
| Food For Thought Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program - West Winds Primary Health Centre | Saskatoon |
| Camille Audette, Dr. Allison Adamus, Dr. Shanna Fenton - Engaging & communicating with Saskatoon Physicians | Saskatoon |
| Sandra Horgas - Accreditation Dashboard | Provincial Scope |
| Provincial Medical First Responder Administration Team, Volunteer Services Saskatoon - Volunteer Self-Service Portal | Saskatoon |
| Mary Deren - Virtual Care Advocate | Regina |
| Collaborative Inpatient Care Unit, Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital | Moose Jaw |
| Virtual Cardiac Rehabilitation Team | Health Networks: SE6, SE7, SE9 |
| Engaged Learning Project in Healthcare Research - University of Saskatchewan, SCPOR, Primary Health Care, SHA Patient Client Experience, Patient Family Partners, Community Partners | Provincial Scope |
| Lenora Vatamaniuck - Virtual Care Advocate | Weyburn |
| Alicia Tressel - Pediatric Gastroenterology, Jim Pattison Children's Hospital | Saskatoon |
| KidsFirst Moose Jaw, Moose Jaw Wellness Centre | Moose Jaw |
| Inclusive Initiative, Sherbrooke Community Centre | Saskatoon |
| Elaine Feltis - Patient Family Partner | Saskatoon |
| Connected Community Care for the Core - Saskatoon Core / Downtown Network | Saskatoon |
| Eye Care Centre Team, Saskatoon City Hospital | Saskatoon |
| Prairie North Plaza Social Club Commitee | Lloydminster |
| Food Sharing Melfort - Mental Health and Addictions | Melfort |
| Rural Action Dementia Research (RaDAR) Memory Clinic - Multidisciplinary teams serving rural communities | South East communities |
| Provincial Patient Safety Team - Critical Incident Process Design | Provincial Scope |
| Chaline Silbernagel - International Recruitment, WPES Swift Current | Swift Current |
| Carmen Valle - Rehabilitation Services, Saskatoon City Hospital | Saskatoon |
| Prostate Biopsy Procedures - Multidisciplinary Team led by Dr. Jeffrey Bird, St. Paul's Hospital | Saskatoon |
| Patient Medical Home Pilot, Swift Current | Swift Current |
| Pharmacy Care Pilot, Swift Current | Swift Current |
| Lesley McLean - Provincial Director Infection Prevention and Control | Provincial Scope |
| Clinical Documentation Development Process - Clinical Standards Working Group | Provincial Scope |
| Rural Intake and Placement List - System Flow Coordination Centre | IRH - South |
2023 Innovation Awards
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Inspiration Award: My Curious Brain - KidsFirst Yorkton
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Developed a story, curriculum and activities meant to spark families’ natural curiosity about how their brains work and provide caregivers with the tools to support their children’s brain health. The language used in the book gives children an understanding of their brain and caregivers an opportunity to see their child’s behavior from a different perspective.
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- Engaged parties internal and external to the Saskatchewan Health Authority, resulting in donations of millions of dollars to fundraising campaigns. Her ability to collaborate and pull people and resources together has been pivotal to projects like the first freestanding residential hospice, the first da Vinci Surgical Robot, St. Paul's hospitals first Spect-CT machine and electron microscope.
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Impact Award: Meadow Primary Health Care Centre, Regina
- Partnered with Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency to host a cervical cancer screening day for clients who were not otherwise able to access screening in Regina. SCA gyne-oncologist attended the clinic for consultation and biopsies as needed. SHA sexual health clinic staff also attended as a resource to support patients. STI screening was also onsite to complete phlebotomy procedures.