Families across southern Saskatchewan are facing longer trips and higher costs after staffing problems forced Regina’s pediatric diabetes program to stop providing local care, officials told patients in late August. Children who previously received follow-up and pump management in Regina will be transitioned to the Saskatoon Pediatric Diabetes Clinic, according to a letter sent to patients and families on Aug. 28.
What changed and why
The letter, issued by the pediatric endocrinology and diabetes team, said the pause in local services was the result of recent staffing losses and the resulting inability to maintain the resources needed for a sustainable program in Regina. In the note the team wrote,
“This is not a change that we wanted to see happen.”
They added they had advocated for years for the staff, resources and administrative support required to provide ongoing paediatric diabetes care in Regina, but said those efforts were insufficient to keep the local program operating at this time.
Families face longer travel, extra costs
For some families that means a dramatic change. Jennifer Simmons of Midale, whose seven-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November and currently attends the Regina Pediatric Diabetes Program, said the move to Saskatoon could turn a routine clinic visit into a two-day trip.
Simmons said her family now travels about 90 minutes to Regina for appointments every three to four months to manage her daughter’s insulin pump settings and receive specialised support. Travelling to Saskatoon would add distance, time and the potential need for overnight accommodation.
- Current travel: Midale to Regina — approximately 90 minutes each way.
- Potential travel: appointments in Saskatoon could require an overnight stay and two-day trip.
- Added burdens: higher travel and accommodation costs, time off work, missed school and increased stress during winter travel.
“It’s not just the gas to get there and back; it’s the cost of the hotel and anything else, and plus just the stress of it and asking for days off work and kids missing school,” Simmons said. She added the longer journey would be particularly difficult during Saskatchewan winters, noting the region’s frequent severe storms and hazardous driving conditions.
Implications for Saskatoon services
The shift of patients to the Saskatoon Pediatric Diabetes Clinic will likely increase demand on that service. The letter indicates care will be transitioned to Saskatoon, but provides no timeline or detail in the excerpt about how many patients will move or what resources Saskatoon will receive to absorb additional caseloads.
Health-system capacity and coordination will be central to how families experience the change. Increased patient volume could mean longer wait times for appointments in Saskatoon and more clinic days dedicated to outpatient diabetes care. Families travelling from the south will also need supports for travel and accommodation, particularly for those who must make frequent visits for pump tuning, education and complications management.
Community and system responses
The pediatric endocrinology and diabetes team’s letter underscores its long-standing efforts to secure staffing and administrative supports to keep local care in Regina — efforts it says were not sufficient. That leaves families, clinicians and regional administrators with immediate choices about how to ensure continuity of care for children with Type 1 diabetes.
For families like Simmons’s, the decision to transfer care is not simply logistical. It touches on the financial strain of travel, the disruption of school and work routines, and the safety concerns of travelling long distances during winter storms. The change also increases pressure on Saskatoon’s health infrastructure and could prompt calls for additional provincial support for paediatric diabetes care across southern Saskatchewan.
Provincial health officials were not quoted in the material provided; further detail will be needed on how many patients are affected and what supports will be put in place for families making the move to Saskatoon.
As the transition unfolds, families and clinicians will be watching for clear plans on appointment scheduling, travel supports and resources that ensure children continue to receive the specialised diabetes care they require without undue interruption.
