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Dental Clinic Renovation On Tuesday, October 25, SAIT Polytechnic hosted an Open House celebration marking the grand opening of the newly renovated on-campus Dental Clinic. The SAIT Dental Clinic operates to provide Dental Assisting students with practical experience, and offers cost-effective dental services to the public from January to April each year. The renovation opened up the reception area to make the space more accessible for the public. A modern reception desk, new furniture and a glass wall between the reception area and the dental clinic help create a welcome atmosphere for visitors to the clinic. The Dental Clinic also recently upgraded dental chairs and lights that were 24 to 38 years old with brand new equipment. The clinic is now equipped with 18 new dental chairs, and uses digital and indirect digital x-ray technology. These upgrades ensure SAIT students are learning on modern equipment used in industry. The old equipment was donated to Africa, Central America and the South Pacific. 
Dr. Allen Billy (Dean) and the Dental Assisting team officially cut the ribbon in celebration of the newly renovated Dental Clinic.
Simulation Lab Expansion On Wednesday August 31, 2011, the School of Health and Public Safety celebrated the completion of the newly expanded Centre for Advanced Patient Care Simulation at a Respiratory Therapy Open House event. Special guest, Honourable Greg Weadick (Minister of Advanced Education & Technology, MLA Lethbridge West) helped officially cut the ribbon on the new Sim Lab. Read the full story. 
Dr. Allen Billy (Dean), Meena Kumar (Academic Chair), Honourable Greg Weadick (Minister of Advanced Education & Technology, MLA Lethbridge West), and Dr. Gordon Nixon (VP Academic) officially cut the ribbon on the Sim Lab expansion.
SAIT Medical Equipment Helps Expanding Hospital in Uganda A recent expansion to a hospital in Uganda provided much needed space to better support the community with surgeries and a medical laboratory. In order to help fill that new space with the necessary equipment, the Rotary Club of Calgary approached SAIT Polytechnic to see if any surplus medical equipment was available to help. The question was posed by Brian Larson, former Dean of the School of Health and Public Safety, now a Board member of the Rotary Club of Calgary. In response, Health and Public Safety instructors and staff gathered various medical laboratory equipment (including five microscopes, 5 serofuges for blood banks, 500 glass pipets, 2000 plastic disposable pipets, and five boxes of phlebotomy supplies), a mobile x-ray, and two echo ultrasound machines for donation. The medical supplies and equipment are no longer used at SAIT due to the move to automated equipment and changing industry and safety standards, however are still valuable to developing countries. The Rotary Club of Calgary sent the items from SAIT, along with additional medical supplies like pediatric equipment, beds and linens, to the Kyotera hospital in Uganda to support the recent expansion of the 50 bed hospital to include maternity and surgical units, a diagnostic centre, and an upgraded lab. The hospital supports the very poor Rakai District of Uganda, where the AIDS scourge in that country began. 12% of the population in the district has AIDS, where as the national average is 6%. The Rotary Club of Calgary provides humanitarian services to help build a better Calgary and a better world through local and international programs. The Rotary Club of Calgary works with three Rotary Clubs in Southern Uganda on the Taking Rotary Assistance to Children & Communities (TRACC) project, which provides assistance to over 540 AIDS orphans – from basic supplies like soap, towels and beds, to sending them to school with uniforms and books. TRACC also provides 450 AIDS affected Ugandans with micro-credit loans as a means to establishing or enhancing businesses and restoring hope and dignity. “The hospital will be so grateful,” says Ann Toombs from the Rotary Club of Calgary, “My husband and I have visited the hospital and know how much these supplies will be appreciated. It will make a big difference and allow them to look after many more people, including the children we currently work with through the TRACC program.” The medical container was shipped on August 6 to the Rotary Club of Kyotera in Uganda, and will arrive sometime in October. For more information on the TRACC project, visit TRACCuganda.org. 
Health and Public Safety instructors and staff fill the Rotary Club's truck with 2 ultrasound machines, a mobile x-ray, and medical laboratory supplies.
The Rotary Club of Calgary packing the shipping container.
SAIT’s Youngest Grads: Career Pathways Pharmacy Technician – Retail A group of 45 Calgary teens can now add a SAIT Polytechnic certificate to their resumés – before they finish Grade 12. Students participating in SAIT Polytechnic’s Career Pathways Pharmacy Technician – Retail program from St. Francis, John G. Diefenbaker, Crescent Heights, William Aberhart and James Fowler High Schools took part in SAIT’s graduation ceremonies on May 27. This is the second cohort to graduate from the Career Pathways program. Following the ceremony, students celebrated at a special lunch reception with their families in Macdonald Hall. The Career Pathways Pharmacy Technician - Retail program is a partnership between SAIT Polytechnic, the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District, and is funded by Alberta Education. Career Pathways successfully integrates high school and post-secondary education, and is an important step in the progression of education. The program was created to engage youth interested in health careers while at the same time address the need for pharmacy technicians in the retail sector, and delivers education that will lead many high school students directly to rewarding careers immediately upon completion of Grade 12. 
GoTECHgirl! Wednesday May 18, 2011 marked SAIT Polytechnic’s inaugural GoTECHgirl event, designed to help girls explore the world of engineering technology. GoTECHgirls make computers faster, food safer, buildings smarter, the environment cleaner and lives better in countless ways every day through applied science and engineering technology. Participants from local high schools enjoyed a full day of hands-on activities at SAIT Polytechnic learning about the technology-related programs available through the MacPhail School of Energy and the schools of Construction, Health and Public Safety, Information and Communications Technologies, Manufacturing and Automation, and Transportation. “When I started my career in Engineering Technology, there were very few women in the industry,” says Mary MacDonald, Dean of the MacPhail School of Energy, “Today, there are great opportunities for women in fields that have traditionally been dominated by males. This event was designed to showcase the success women can have in engineering technology careers, and help ease any fear they may have about entering these professions.” From learning about the future of energy to programming robots, drafting like a big-shot architect to saving a life, and designing a magazine cover to riveting at the Art Smith Aero Centre, participants experienced SAIT’s technology-related programs first-hand. Feedback from the participants was extremely positive: “It was fun and worthwhile and should be recommended to all females.” “It was an amazing day and you guys are amazing for doing this for girls! A lot of people are saying they are coming to SAIT now!” “I had an amazing time and I learned a lot about a career that I may pursue.” “I now feel comfortable knowing that women are welcome in the IT field.” Female leaders of tomorrow arrived at SAIT as high school students, and left campus as GoTECHgirls, inspired and informed in the field of engineering technology. GoTECHgirl events across Canada are supported by the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists. 
Dental Equipment Gets New Lease on Life Recent upgrades to SAIT Polytechnic’s Dental Clinic replaced dental chairs and lights that were 24 – 38 years old with brand new equipment. Current technology in the classroom is essential to provide world-class training for Dental Assisting students and quality oral health care to the public, but the old equipment is not obsolete – especially for developing countries around the world. The SAIT Dental Clinic donated 15 used dental chairs and 3 overhead lights to the Emmanuel Foundation, who is preparing to send the items to Africa, Central America and the South Pacific to support the ongoing need for medical equipment. The dental equipment will be distributed to a hospital in Ghana, and dental clinics in Guatemala and the Philippines. The Emmanuel Foundation is a non-profit charity dedicated to sustainable development and long-term community transformation in developing countries, helping them acquire much-needed used medical, educational, dietary and sports equipment and supplies, as well as clothing, toys, and other materials. They have recently taken over the operations of the Alberta Distribution Relief Agency – Aid Society International (ADRA-ASI) who, since 1996, has shipped over 250 40’ shipping containers full of humanitarian goods to destinations around the globe. Lyle Johnson, Emmanuel Foundation’s Executive Director, says the timing of the donation was perfect. “Dental Clinics are being built in the Philippines and Guatemala with support from Albertan doctors who want to help equip the clinics,” says Johnson, “The dental chairs are perfect for this, along with other supplies that we have received from surplus centres and other sources across Alberta, and we hope to send these two containers by the end of this year.” “Helping people and providing quality care is what our program is all about,” says SAIT Dental Assisting Academic Chair, Shawn Turcotte, “We’re happy this donation will help developing countries to do the same.” 
Donation to SAIT’s Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant program In February 2010, the family of Bruce MacMillan of Ponoka, Alberta, donated three below-knee prosthetic legs and one knee brace to SAIT Polytechnic’s Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant (RHT) program. The donation was inspired by a family connection to the program – MacMillan’s cousin, Charlotte Murray, is an instructor with the School of Health and Public Safety, and teaches the RHT Infection Prevention and Control course. While working on the Kananaskis Highway in 1974, Mr. MacMillan lost his leg when a paving machine auger was activated while he was cleaning the machine. He was always grateful for the wonderful medical treatment that he received at the time of his injury, and the prosthetics that allowed him to live a full and active life. He was still using his treadmill daily, until the week prior to his death in 2007 at age 95 - a role model for the benefits of rehabilitation therapy. “It was a great addition to our teaching aids,” says Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant Instructor, Karen McIntosh, “The students seemed to get a lot more out of the classes about amputations and prosthesis this year compared to last year – and I think that a lot of that was due to the prosthetics and allowing the students to handle the legs and the different methods of attachment to the residual limb.” 
Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant students in class.
SAIT medical supplies at work in Guatemala Thanks to an entrepreneur with a true desire to help people in need, a training ambulance and two ultrasound machines from SAIT Polytechnic’s School of Health and Public Safety are helping improve lives in Guatemala! The project started as a friendly conversation between friends Lisa Allen, SAIT Pre-Hospital Care Academic Chair, and Wayne Skogman, businessman and founder of the Be One to Help Foundation of Alberta (BOTH). Skogman was planning a trip to Guatemala with his three sons to deliver supplies for Mayan families in need, help build and repair basic necessities, and share his carpentry skills with the locals. As Allen is also passionate about helping internationally, having travelled to Belize in 2007 to train fellow paramedics in basic first aid, she wanted to help. She made arrangements to sell an old training ambulance, which was no longer being used by SAIT’s high-tech Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic programs, to BOTH at a minimal cost. From there, other programs within the School of Health and Public Safety got involved, resulting in additional donations of two used ultrasound machines and various medical items like stretchers, wheelchairs and crutches. The ambulance fully loaded with supplies, Skogman started the journey to Guatemala on New Year’s Day 2010. After eight days of driving, he reached Panajachel (Pana) and worked closely with Mayan Families, a non-governmental agency, to personally deliver the items. The ambulance and medical supplies were donated to the volunteer firefighter and ambulance team; the ultrasound machines went to two medical clinics – one a public clinic in Pana and the other to a small clinic in Santa Cruz. “It feels good to contribute”, says Lisa Allen, “Through continued initiatives such as this, the School of Health and Public Safety’s EMT and Paramedic programs are committed to educate and help locally, nationally and internationally.” If you are interested in donating to this project in the future, please contact Lisa Allen. 
Wayne Skogman delivers the ambulance to the "Bomberos", a volunteer firefighter and ambulance team in Guatemala
Scanning new horizons in healthcare education Brand new Diagnostic Imaging equipment has been installed at SAIT, courtesy of $4.7 million in funding from Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, to create a provincial diagnostic imaging network. The upgrades ensure students in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Medical Radiologic Technology and Nuclear Medicine Technology programs are trained on modern equipment. 
The Nuclear Medicine team with Gerry Waisman from Alberta Advanced Education and Technology
Read the full story here.
New Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant Lab On Thursday September 24, 2009, SAIT officially opened a new Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant lab at the Mayland Heights campus. The Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant program trains individuals to become Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA) or Physical Therapy Assistants (PTA). Under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist, the Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant helps injured or disabled patients regain their mobility and their role as active members of society. In addition to classroom space at the new location, there is a clinical laboratory built for each the Occupation Therapy Assistant stream and the Physical Therapy Assistant stream. Facilities include treatment beds with electrical muscle stimulation equipment, splinting stations and a wide range of exercise equipment. With a dedicated lab that simulates a clinical rehabilitation setting, the program expects students to be more satisfied with their program experience. 
Nancy Pullan, Dan Guinan, Dr. Gord Nixon, Karen McIntosh and Dr. Allen Billy at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
President's Commendation Award A President's Commendation Award was presented to SAIT Polytechnic for our multi-year support of the Dental Assisting profession. Dr. Allen Billy, Dean, accompanied Shawn Turcotte, Academic Chair for Health Information and Practice Assistants, and Raynie Wood, Dental Assisting Instructor, to accept the award at the College of Alberta Dental Assistants award banquet on Saturday September 19. 
Dr. Allen Billy, Raynie Wood and Shawn Turcotte
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