The Maternity Centre at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) provides prenatal care for the residents of Thunder Bay and surrounding region. Our team is committed to providing evidence-based maternity care that is safe, respectful and culturally sensitive.

Self-referral can be made to be seen by a Nurse Practitioner, Family Medicine Physician, Social Worker, Kinesiologist, Dietician, and Lactation Consultant.

To be seen by an Obstetrician, a referral is needed from your primary health care provider or midwife.

During pregnancy, you are welcome to call the Maternity Centre to schedule an appointment with one of our prenatal care providers. All of our programs are accessible with your Ontario health card.

TBRHSC’s Maternity Centre welcomes the 128 babies born at our Hospital during the month of August. Congratulations on the new bundles of joy!

Find out more about our services by visiting bit.ly/TBRHSC-Maternity-Centre-info.

Interprofsesional Education is hosting a variety of certificate courses designed to help you grow professionally and expand your expertise. With multiple courses running every month, there’s something for everyone re a variety of new certificate courses available for Fall 2026. Check out the avaliable courses below:

• BLS Full Provider Courses (2 dates)
• BLS Renewal Courses (3 dates)
• ACLS Renewal Course
• PALS Full Provider Course
• PALS Renewal Course
• FHS Full Workshop – Virtual

All staff, professional staff, learners, and volunteers are invited to tune in, stay informed, and get involved as in our monthly Town Hall. This is your chance to hear the latest updates from across our Hospital and Health Research Institute — from strategic priorities to day-to-day operations — and to have your voice heard.

Upcoming Town Hall Dates Via Microsoft Teams

September 16 @ 2:00 p.m.
October 21 @ 2:00 p.m.
November 18 @ 2:00 p.m.
December 16 @ 2:00 p.m.
January 20 @ 2:00 p.m.
February 17 @ 2:00 p.m.
March 17 @ 2:00 p.m.
April 21 @ 2:00 p.m.
May 19 @ 2:00 p.m.
June 16 @ 2:00 p.m.

Got questions or feedback?

This is your forum. Ask questions live during the Q&A segment or submit them in advance to ensure the right people are available to respond.

Submit your questions by:

• Emailing TBRHSC.GroupNews@tbh.net
• Asking in real time during the Q&A segment of the Town Hall.

Submitting questions in advance ensures the right people are available to respond.

Don’t miss it — we look forward to seeing you there!

If you’d like to access a recording or presentation from a previous Town Hall, visit the archive.

Congratulations to September’s Hand Hyigene Champion, Sabrina Bolt, RN on 2B.

Sabrina has worked at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for a year and has made it a habit when entering/exiting a patient rooms to complete hand hygiene even when things get busy. She believes this important task protects both herself and her patients from the spread of disease and infections. 

Throughout September, staff are invited to participate in a variety of learning opportunities, cultural activities, and opportunities to support local Indigenous vendors. Please save the dates and watch for additional details and registration information.

Tuesday, September 8
Indigenous Vendor: To be announced. Stay tuned for more information.

Thursday, September 10
Lunch & Learn: Orange Shirt Beading – Pins
Join us for a hands-on Orange Shirt beading session. Registration details and a link will be shared soon.

Wednesday, September 16
Indigenous Women’s Hand Drummers
Staff are invited to experience and learn through the sharing of Indigenous song, culture, and tradition.

Indigenous Vendor: George will have a vendor table located across from the Gift Shop. Stop by to say hello and support a local Indigenous vendor!

Week of September 21
Lunch & Learn: Special Guest Elder – Residential School Survivor
Join us for an important learning opportunity with a special guest Elder and Residential School Survivor. Additional details, including the date, time, and registration information, will be shared soon.

Friday, September 25
Indigenous Vendor: Jodina will have a vendor table located across from the Gift Shop. Stop by to say hello and support a local Indigenous vendor!

Tuesday, September 29
Indigenous Vendor: Jodina will have a vendor table located across from the Gift Shop. Stop by to say hello and support a local Indigenous vendor!

Wednesday, September 30
Launching: TBRHSC’s Truth and Reconciliation Report
Our Hospital is observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by releasing its third annual report detailing our ongoing responses to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action.

Orange Shirt Day
This Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative event honours Survivors and remembers the children who were forced into residential schools and never returned to their families. Staff are invited to wear an orange shirt as an outward symbol of commitment to reconciliation and hope for a better future.

Save the Dates

We encourage staff to take part in these opportunities throughout September to learn, listen, engage, and support Indigenous community members and vendors.

Please watch for further communications with event times, locations, registration links, and additional details.

Shared on behalf of Bridge Northwest

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Physicians and all professional staff are encouraged to attend an upcoming Expanse Fair at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC).

This drop-in event will provide an early opportunity to explore the Meditech Expanse test environment, work through simple clinical workflow scenarios, and ask questions directly to subject matter experts and clinical members of the Bridge Northwest program team.

This is an informal opportunity to see the system in action, become more familiar with upcoming changes, and learn more about what to expect as we prepare for training and go-live.

Snacks, refreshments and door prize will be available!

Date: Friday, September 25, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium A and B

Please drop in as your schedule allows. Your participation, questions and feedback are encouraged as we continue preparing for the transition to Expanse.

Hello, Boozhoo, Bonjour.

I want to close out August with a fuller update on where things stand across the organization.

First, a word about the month itself because August asked a lot of you. What I want you to know is that when we get challenged, the response I see from our teams and staff is steady and professional. I notice it, the leadership team notices it, and your work and care is impressive and not taken for granted.

Work on our next strategic plan is now underway. Engagement is happening inside and outside the organization and if you have seen the QR codes posted around the building that is your invitation to complete the confidential survey. It takes only a few minutes and the answers will help shape the next five years of this organization. Huddles with staff are in progress, along with sessions involving our leaders, the Board, physicians, community partners, and patient family advisors. As previously mentioned, the questions framing this plan are simple. What should we keep doing, what should we start doing, and what should we stop doing? The answers are now arriving, and I want yours in the mix. We expect Board approval of the new plan by December and a launch in early 2027. Click here for the survey.

The health system stabilization work I wrote about in June continues with the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health. Our current focus is on conservable bed days, with action plans targeted for September, and we are reviewing sick time and overtime for opportunities to improve. Sadly, overtime is an area where we do not benchmark well against our peers and we need to do better. I know how a line like that can read from the front line, so let me be clear about the intent. High overtime usually says more about how we schedule and staff than about the people working the hours. The point of this review is to fix what drives the hours, not to blame the people working them. If you are aware of what increases overtime or sick time in your area, tell your manager or email me. The Ministry expects gains in efficiency from every hospital in this work and our commitment has not changed since June. We will find those gains without compromising quality or access to care.

Construction continues on nearly every corner of the Hospital campus. The Cardiovascular Surgery Program sits at 38 per cent completion and remains on schedule, and the renovated ECG and phlebotomy areas have been handed over for clinical use. The new Emergency Department addition is complete, including the reception, registration and security areas, and the overall triage project is at 65 per cent with completion expected this winter. Demolition has started on Level 3 for the new central scope reprocessing space. Roof replacement is finished over 3C, 2C short stay and the ED perimeter, with the ambulance bay and OR administration areas to follow soon. The millwork for our Expanse workstations is nearly complete in the pods and has started in the ICU. On Expanse itself, the build is progressing well and we expect to set a go-live date later this fall as we review the remaining milestones. Once that date is set, details on training and preparation will follow.

Finally, I want to acknowledge something everyone driving to work has noticed. Traffic within the vicinity has been difficult, with our construction activity compounded by City of Thunder Bay road work in the surrounding area. We continue to assess the impacts and project timelines to reduce the congestion where able. Thank you for your patience.

I hope your September gets off to a great start, and you feel positive and refreshed for the months ahead.

As always, I welcome any comments or questions you may have. Please feel free to email directly at: Rhonda.Ellacott@tbh.net.

Get Started with SharePoint

With the transition to SharePoint, we want to make sure you’re ready!

Join one of our drop-in sessions or check out our training resources to get started on your SharePoint journey.

Learn About SharePoint

Visit M365Hub.tbh.net or nwohealth.sharepoint.com/sites/M365Training to check out our education resources.

Join SharePoint Drop-In Sessions

On Wednesdays from June 10 to December 9, ask questions and get support for SharePoint. Visit the M365Hub training page at M365Hub.tbh.net for links.

SharePoint Training [All Staff]

• Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

SharePoint Training [Leaders and Owners]

• Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Contact Us

Give us a call at 807-684-6411, email us at Help.Desk@tbh.net, or submit a ticket on our Help Desk Self Service app for support.

SharePoint Training