HealthLine 811 celebrates two decades of serving Saskatchewan residents

In August 2003, HealthLine 811 staff answered their first call. Two decades later, the team of over 100 experienced and specially trained registered nurses (RNs), registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) and registered social workers (RSWs) continue to answer Saskatchewan residents’ calls for health support and advice.

HealthLine 811 is a confidential 24-hour health, mental health and addictions advice, education and support telephone line available to the people of Saskatchewan. Today, HealthLine 811 services are offered in English with translation available in over 100 languages, including for those who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Since its inception, HealthLine 811 staff have played a pivotal role in health emergencies, including the West Nile and Avian flu outbreaks in 2004, H1N1 in 2009, Zika virus in 2017 and COVID-19 pandemic. Technological advancements in infrastructure and specialized training to adapt to the latest emerging health-care concerns have allowed staff to provide focused support Saskatchewan residents.

Services offered by HealthLine 811 have also expanded to meeting the changing health-care needs of Saskatchewan residents. This has included the addition of a mental health and addictions line in 2006, a maternal wellness program in 2013, and this summer, the expansion of virtual physician (VP) program to support Emergency Department stabilization in rural areas.

Last year, the team received 119,254 calls, which is on average just over 300 calls a day. Of those, 37,459 or about 30 per cent, were for youth under 19 years or age with 473 referrals to the maternal wellness program. The maternal wellness program supports for women experiencing post-partum depression.

Overall, HealthLine 811 continues to provide a valuable role in strengthening access to health-care support across Saskatchewan and helps reduce non-emergency visits to ERs and walk-in clinics.