The names in this story have been changed to protect the plan member and their family’s privacy.

Benefit coverage available to Saskatchewan health care workers can help you and your family members prepare for new chapters in your lives. 

For one benefit plan member, that meant helping her daughter re-learn some parts of her developing speech. When Olivia was four, her pediatrician suggested she was having trouble pronouncing some sounds. 

“She was having difficulties with the soft ‘g’ and ‘k’ sounds,” explained her mom and benefit plan member Sabrina. “We didn’t even pick up on it; she was understandable to us as her parents, but not always to other people. 

“The pediatrician was clear that she wasn’t delayed or that we shouldn’t be concerned, but suggested it’s something that you might want to get ahead of, so it doesn’t cause further issues.”

Preparing for the future

Entering the education system is a major change for children, and with Olivia getting ready to begin kindergarten soon, her parents decided treatment could help her start out on the same level as her peers.

“She’s a very social person as it is. She doesn’t let anything hold her back, so I didn’t want to put extra roadblocks up when they didn’t have to be there,” Sabrina said.

Utilizing her benefits coverage, Sabrina was able to get Olivia an assessment and follow-up treatment sessions at a private therapy clinic.

Plan members can access paramedical and professional services, including speech therapy, to a maximum of $400 per family member each year.

The clinic sent them home with ideas for games, work sheets, and other tools to keep practicing. After just a couple of sessions, Olivia and her parents were empowered to bring her vocalizations around. Now six years old, Olivia has no further speech issues.

“She just had to do it a different way, to relearn how to make those sounds differently,” Sabrina said. “And now she’s doing great!”

Many services covered with extended benefits

Speech therapy is just one of a wide variety of paramedical and professional services for which plan members receive coverage.

This includes physiotherapists and occupational therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, massage therapy, acupuncture, and more. 

For full details on benefit plan coverage, please visit the Employee Benefit Plans page. If you have questions about your benefit plan, call 3sHealth at 1.866.278.2301 or email ebp@3sHealth.ca.