Swift Current now has a nurse practitioner who can help provide health care to select locals.

Candace Blake began working out of the Southwest Medi Centre at the end of January and is only the second nurse practitioner in the city.

The resident of Swift Current was travelling to Moose Jaw to practice her scope of work to reach the required 900 hours over three years to maintain her license before the localized position was created. 

Saskatchewan's minister of health and Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley met with her in November to help build the framework of the job. There was funding from the 2023-24 budget to provide the service from January until the end of March when the province's fiscal year ended and the funding has now been made indefinite moving forward.

"Because of my background in being from the area, when this opportunity presented itself for me to work in my community without a commute, I felt I could be valuable and a good team member as most people have known me in the practice," she said. "I have also practiced greatly in the area with the physicians, pharmacists, and other interdisciplinary team members for a number of years."

Blake graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2007 with a bachelor of science in nursing. She furthered her education in 2015 when she completed the school's master of nursing - nurse practitioner. 

Since finishing her schooling, she's also served as a nurse practitioner in Cabri, Mankota, and Kyle.

"Following the pandemic, I left my NP practice in Cabri and returned to work at the hospital doing some casual NP work," she said.

Blake's hire was partially to help fill a void left by Dr. Bakare's exit from the Southwest Medi Centre in December of 2023. Hindley indicated while they're still trying to recruit a replacement for Dr. Bakare, Blake can help with some of his patients list or funnel them towards some that can assist.

"While my work and scope of practice is similar to that of a family physician, it is very different," Blake said. "Our education is different and how we interact with team members. We work very collaboratively so the best person to do the job is doing it.

"Currently what we do in the clinic is if someone is in need of a provider and was a member of the clinic, I can see them," she said. "If I am not the best fit for them I can refer them to one of my colleagues who is a physician or within the scope of a nurse practitioner we're very much autonomous and independent and can decide if they maybe require specialist care or another team member to take over."

Blake is excited about the new position that will also allow her to specialize in two areas which are close to her heart, palliative care, and chronic disease management. The biggest change for her is she's an SHA employee working out of a fee-for-service physicians clinic, whereas before she was working out of an SHA clinic.

"Overall in Swift Current, we haven't had an opportunity for primary health care to function with other team members such as nurse practitioners and physicians," she said. "Overall my work is the same. I get to provide a variety of services to people of all ages."