Saskatchewan’s first-ever HIV transitional care home and hospice opened its doors in Saskatoon Monday morning.
The Sanctum facility is a ten-bed home designed to help people living with HIV who are struggling to manage their symptoms due to homelessness, poverty, addictions, or mental health.
“We are modelling [Sanctum] after other homes in the country and as we (Saskatoon) have the highest incidents of HIV in the country this is the time and place to be,” says Dr. Morris Markentin, founder of the Sanctum facility.
While there are already several supports for people living with HIV in the city, Dr. Markentin says there are not enough. He says he knew a facility like this was needed in the province six months after he began practicing medicine in the city.
“I saw patients younger than me dying of HIV in a time where that shouldn’t be happening and in a first-world country like Canada where they have access to health care and medication… it’s just not right,” says Dr. Markentin.
The Saskatoon Health Region will be providing $836,000 in funding to Sanctum for its first year.
“It’s about getting the right patient, the right care, in the right bed,” says Corey Miller, lead of the patient flow follow-on initiative. “By treating these patients in a community setting rather than a hospital, the health-care team at Sanctum will provide holistic care to treat clients’ drug addiction, in addition to their HIV symptoms.”
The Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership will also provide $180,000. Along with the funding, Sanctum will be seeking charitable donations to help meet their operational budget year after year.
The facility is expecting their first patients to move in on Tuesday.