This year marks the 20th anniversary of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) opening its doors.
Since welcoming our first patient on February 22, 2004, TBRHSC has expanded in size, as well as its programs and services.
Many of the milestones that have been achieved in the past 20 years would not be possible without the efforts of our dedicated staff, physicians, Patient Family Advisors, and volunteers.
Thank you to everyone who submitted their favourite memories from the last 20 years for a chance to win a $25 gift card from a local vendor. Congratulations to the following randomly selected winners below!
(Winners will be contacted directly to arrange for pick up of their gift cards)
Kristi Judge (winner of a $25 gift card to the Cheese Encounter)
My memories of the new facility go back more than 20 years, to when I started to work for the building architects, Salter Farrow Pilon Architects Inc. In January 2001, I started working for them in their Toronto office and was part of the project team that worked on our Hospital. I was a “CAD monkey” there and also did some 3D modeling of spaces. I also worked closely with the project manager helping with contract admin tasks directly related to construction that had already begun. In July 2001, I moved to Thunder Bay and stayed working for the architects, but now on the Hospital’s construction site. At that time, the Hospital was a partial skeleton only, mainly structural steel and some metal (floor) decking. The steel assembly was not yet complete so the north area where the Cancer Centre and Cafeteria area are, was just “air”. During my years on-site, I had the pleasure of watching the building come to life, literally one wall at a time. Our site offices were job-site trailers but once work on the roads and landscaping started, we were moved inside the building to some of the finishes spaces. We moved a couple times to different areas, but at one point, my office was the President’s office!
Attached is a photo from site a couple months prior to the building opening. This was our consultant team — three of us working for the architects and four for the mechanical and electrical consultants — on the 3rd level bridge in the very recognizable main lobby atrium space.
The day the building opened, was the day we moved off-site, so as the Hospital was moving in the front door, we were sneaking out the back! I had the fun job of moving 120+ bankers boxes full of files (to my house!) and cataloging them and the many rolls of drawings which were produced, before bringing them down to the architect’s Barrie office.
I would not start working directly for the Hospital until 2005, but it’s safe to say that no one has worked in this building longer than I have!
Ann Marie Cline (winner of a $25 gift card to the International House of Tea)
I started working in the building before it was officially open. We were all bringing in thermoses of coffee and bagged lunches, since there were no food services available on site at the time. I don’t think there were any staff rooms or a cafeteria for the first bit either. I was proud to be a part of that first group to help get things underway.
Gordon Jones (winner of a $25 gift card to Central Car Wash)
For the 20th anniversary I was wondering if you’d like this funny photo of geese trying to get into the Hospital to visit a friend way back in 2013.
Terry Fode (winner of a $25 gift card to Fresh Air Experience)
This is one of the most exciting things that happened when we were first constructing the Cyclotron and Radiopharmacy facility. Unfortunately due to construction delays, delivery was scheduled for mid-February. The weather couldn’t have been worse! The cranes were positioned outside of 1040 Oliver Road and lowered the heavy, bulky cyclotron equipment carefully into the concrete bunker via a hatch in the roof. This was a long-awaited milestone as it took us one step closer to our goal of manufacturing FDG for our patients and enabling exciting research for the teams at Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute and Lakehead University.
Lindsey Rae (winner of a $25 gift card to Robin’s)
I was in my last nursing placement when we moved over to the “new” Hospital. My placement was on 3B. My preceptor was awesome; however, the transition to the new Hospital brought a new scope for RPN’s and the new computer charting. We faced some challenging moments. Thankfully, I stuck it out and wouldn’t have changed a thing. This year marks my 20th year of being a nurse and I have loved every step along the way.
Thank you to the following submissions!
Jasmine Farmer
My favorite memory with TBRHSC started nine years ago, the day I got a phone call from a manager offering me a position at the Hospital. I knew from a young age I wanted to have a role in the healthcare field. When I received the call, I knew this was something exciting; yet I was nervous to accept the position. I soon later accepted the offer with feelings of being nervous and eager. From the first time walking through the doors meeting managers, physicians and staff, to today; all of which I can now call co-workers and friends. The welcome I received was none the less of great and will remain a favourite memory of mine.
Jennifer Svane
I have worked at the Hospital since January 1995. In 1999, I joined the Stores Department. With the amalgamation of Port Arthur General Hospital and McKeller, I had the opportunity to work at both sites. We were so excited to create supply rooms in the patient areas that were going to be a 100% improvement to what we had to work with at the time. It has been nice to see technology make material management more efficient since then. I am not sure where the last 20 years have gone.
Laura Jurimae
A great memory from back in the days when I worked bedside nursing was participating in “The Hippest Party In Town” (held several years back). The 3A staff and leaders organized a night out on the town where attendees could dress up in outfits inspired by the 1980s and dance the night away in order to help raise funds for equipment for our orthopedic patients on 3A. A plaque has been dedicated on 3A outside of 310 in honor of the proceeds raised.
Nella Lawrence
The day we moved our patients from the old sites to the new Hospital was one of the coldest days of the month. Not unlike what we are experiencing now. The enthusiasm we all felt was wonderful. All members of the staff played a part in the relocation and the transition seemed effortless. Any shortcomings were addressed immediately.
The journey to that day was unimaginable. The planning from an infrastructure perspective involved many. Working with the consultants was challenging but the end result was rewarding. The occupancy planning was an exercise in logistics and organization. I recall the many hours of work, the commitment of the staff and the anticipation. Keep in mind that most of the staff were working their regular jobs and any involvement with the capital project was above their normal daily work.
One of the most challenging and upsetting days was when a pipe burst and water was cascading down the grand staircase. Some areas had carpet installed already and needed to be remediated. The Cancer Centre was one area that was impacted.
There were many days full of frustration and many days that were fun, but everyone focused on the outcome and persevered. The patient was always at the forefront. To be able to have a bright, sunny and new environment to provide patient care was the main goal. And it was achieved! Congratulations to all who were involved.
Leanne Baird
I actually have a lot of favourite memories here at TBRHSC but I’ll limit it to two. The first is the opening of the Sim Lab in 2019. While simulation existed previously at TBRHSC, the opening of the Sim Lab really changed the way that we were able to offer learning via simulation in the organization. We have had all sorts of learners through the sim lab including physicians, residents, medical students, nurses, nursing students, RRTs, lab professionals, dialysis aides, housekeeping, dietary aides, paramedics, the military, and high school students. The Sim Lab mannequin family has grown from one adult mannequin to now include a birthing mannequin, newborn babies, premature babies, toddler and child mannequins.
The second is the creation of this award-winning hand hygiene video. I played the roll of the “bad hand washer” and enjoyed working with these children to create the video. I’d love to see them all come back and create an update reel! Maybe some of them are actually working here now.