Regina hospitals continue to see ice-related injuries

Slippery conditions continued to plague Regina residents on Thursday, with the city's hospitals seeing a continued surge ofpatients suffering from ice-related injuries.

By Thursday morning, there were nine more orthopedic patients needing surgery at PasquaHospitaland 10 more requiring surgery at Regina General Hospital, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The health authority said about half of thecases were estimated to be patients injured because of ice.

The large number of new, emergent surgery patients has impacted available beds for elective surgeries. Thirteen elective orthopedic surgeries have hadto be postponed.

However, the health authority said it has increased staffing to deal with the emergencies in a timelyway, with an extra team called in on Wednesday night to provide orthopedic surgeries, and several orthopedic surgeons on hand to assist with the influx in patients.

Returning to normal volume

While the number of admitted patients waiting for beds in emergency at both of the city's hospitals washigh, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said the total number of patients had mostly stabilized, with 55 seeking care at Regina General Hospital and 45 waiting at Pasqua.

Over a 24-hour period onJan. 9, EMS had responded to 114 calls, but the service has since returned to a normal volume, responding to75 calls in a day.

Sandboxes emptying quickly

TheCity of Regina is offering sand for pickup, with the sandbox locations available online.

The city said crews are monitoring and refilling the boxes as much as possibleto keep up with the high demand, but the city'spriority remains clearing roads and city sidewalks. People can bring a small container to fill, such as an ice cream bucket,butpeople are asked to take only what theyneed so there will be sand for others.