The board of the new Sun Country regional health authority expects to have a three- to five-year strategic plan in place some time this spring.

The regional board, created last summer, will meet at the end of March to draw up its long range goals, said Dave Galloway Tuesday. Galloway is director of facilities for the southern part of the region and responsible for developing the plan.

A strategic plan is important to the new board to help clarify its future directions for the region, said Galloway.

"The health care system faces so many conflicting demands that the board needs a reliable source for setting priorities and directing resources into those priority areas," he said.

A plan for the "big picture" is also necessary so employees understand how their jobs fit with the region's overall goals and direction, he said.

Galloway said he expects the planning process to look at the demographics of the region, the utilization of existing facilities, and probably to examine ways to implement SaskHealth's new, 10-point action plan. That plan was made public in December.

SaskHealth's action plan emphasizes primary care, said Galloway. That might lead to the creation of traveling clinics made up of a doctor or advanced clinical nurse, a physiotherapist, and/or a mental health worker which go into the smaller communities where no health services are available now, he said.

SaskHealth also wants regional health authorities to develop a wellness model of care that includes public education to promote healthy living. Galloway said that means focussing on preventive health rather than exclusively on the number of hospital beds are available in a region.

"It could mean diabetic health education, information on preventing osteoporosis, or on weight control, which is becoming a serious issue in our public schools," he said.

Another major emphasis in SaskHealth's plan is enhancement of ambulance services in rural areas, said Galloway. The government wants all ambulance attendants to have a higher level of training to the EMT level, he said.

The public could be involved in the strategic planning process through appointed representatives on the board's community advisory networks, if they are set up in time. Key stakeholders from the community, and the medical staff, will be invited to be part of the process, he said.