Hello, Boozhoo, Bonjour.
I am writing on a sunny afternoon in May, hoping that you have been able to enjoy some of the great weather we have been experiencing. As we transition into much warmer temperatures, we too are transitioning and changing many things here in line with our strategic priorities.
In my March Blog, I had mentioned that we were planning to continue our conversations with various Ministry representatives and dignitaries. Since then, we have had several opportunities to advance discussions about our healthcare issues that are specific to Northwestern Ontario. We had opportunity to host the Honourable Minister Sylvia Jones from the Ministry of Health and MPP Kevin Holland as well as Ontario Health President & CEO, Matthew Anderson and colleagues from Ontario Health North. As the only tertiary care referral centre across all of Northwestern Ontario, our role is critical. Through our various tours, engagements and ongoing conversations, I am confident that we have been able to garner significant support for our role and a better understanding of the needs of our Hospital and Northwestern Ontario.
A major area of transition over the past month, has been some of our key technology systems over to new platforms. While I recognize that change is often difficult, I hope you have begun to adapt and welcome the shift over from StaffRight to UKG Pro Workforce Management and also from GroupWise to Outlook. Many thanks to the teams who supported this work and to all of you who made the changes work! The switch over is intended to make improvements to access and simplify process, in line with improving your experience. I am hopeful that in time that is the result you experience.
As we look to advance our Cultural Awareness – recently the Board of Directors for both the Hospital and the Health Research Institute completed Repairing the Sacred Circle: An Indigenous Cultural Awareness and Education Primer. The session provided information on some of the key foundational concepts that have influenced the historical and current treatment of Indigenous people with healthcare. This regionally specific training aligns to our Strategic Plan 2026 – Providing a culturally safe experience for all patients and staff. Sessions are now available for any staff member wishing to take part. More details can be found here.
Additionally, the Wake the Giant training program has been extended through the 2024/2025 year to further support our goals within our Strategic Plan. While we know that over 66% of our staff have completed the training, we want to ensure we extend our reach and achieve over 90% completion. To find out more details on how you can take a session and apply it to your work, you can access the training session through the Dual Code Learning Management System.
As mentioned in my April Blog, improving staff experience is key to a better patient experience – and we know that having our planned complement of care staff is just the beginning. With the announcement of moving our previously 30 temporary beds to permanent beds, we too have made the decision to ensure we have base staffing increases in line with this permanent bed complement. As such we have added over 40 new base staffing positions to ensure that we are permanently staffing and supporting care on the units. We are pleased to be able to do this to ensure we are better prepared and not reacting to ebbs and flows in patient census. Together with all our new hires to support vacancies, this additional base staffing improvement is intended to enhance and improve the experience for both staff and patients. Look for changes in your base staffing complement coming this month.
We continue to celebrate 20 years of being in our facility and thank all staff and leaders who have contributed stories to highlight our milestones. Throughout the last 20 years our building has experienced a lot of activity throughout our patient care areas and facility wide. As you may have noticed, our patient rooms are starting to show their age and could use an overhaul. I am pleased to announce that we will be conducting an Environmental Refresh within our Hospital, with the first phase being in-patient rooms. Once the patient rooms are completed we will continue to our common areas and then on to other administrative and staff areas. For me, this is an incredibly important project as I strongly believe that our care, experience and environment are linked. As you likely know, I am incredibly proud of the commitment and dedication provided by all of you, each and every day….now we need to provide an environment that mirrors our exceptional people, care and service. We will work to create and bring our environment up to our care and service standards. You will be hearing more about this as the project gets underway this summer.
It is hard to believe that Year Two of our Strategic Plan 2026 is right around the corner. Upcoming events will include a report back on what we have accomplished. As well, recognizing that the work is not possible without our Staff and Professional Staff, we are celebrating your contributions through a Staff Appreciation BBQ – all happening on June 13th. I hope to see your there!
As always, I invite you to provide me your feedback on these blogs or on any other matter. You can contact me at: rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net. I look forward to hearing from you.
Please know that your work is valued and it makes a difference in patient care.
