The Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, Whitecap Dakota Nation, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic were all part of a significant dual announcement Thursday morning in Saskatoon.  

The JPCH Foundation is investing $1.5 million in Sask. Polytech’s new KINTECH research centre, with a focus on pediatric and maternal wellness. ‘KINTECH’ is a combination of the words ‘kinship’ and ‘technology’.

The Foundation’s Board Chair, Laurentiu Givelichian, says the money is earmarked for innovation in two main areas: youth mental health and access to remote, virtual healthcare.

“The less we bring them (children) back to Saskatoon, or to tertiary care, the better it is for them and for their families. Families hate to see their children being taken away in an airplane to a tertiary hospital, not knowing when they are going to see them again.”

He says the priority is to bring technology to remote communities, allowing a doctor to remotely assess and treat children and adults alike.

The second announcement made Thursday was construction of a new youth mental health centre out on Whitecap Dakota Nation. Foundation CEO Troy Davies says the new centre, dubbed the Moose Wood Child and Youth Centre for Resilience, will be located right across the street from the Virtual Health Hub.

“This is just to offer additional services for kids once they’re past that point of needing to be admitted. It’s next steps. It’s almost like a transition opportunity, where it’s land-based healing, and they can go through our program…They think they’re okay, but we want to make sure that they stay okay.”

Davies says there has been a lot of verbal commitment on the project from the federal and provincial governments. A more detailed, major announcement regarding the Centre is expected in Spring 2027.