Afonso Creations is excited to bring some extra love this February with their Pocket Hug Fundraiser!
Each Pocket Hug is just $5, and succulents are $20, with a portion of all proceeds going towards the Northern Cardiac Fund. It’s the perfect way to show someone you care while supporting a great cause. Whether you’re looking for a little gift or something to brighten someone’s day, these thoughtful items are sure to bring a smile.
You can find them at the following locations:
TBRHSC Lobby: February 14, 19, 20 & 27 (11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Bay Village Coffee: Regular business hours throughout February Heritage Building: March 1 (8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
February is Heart Month, a time to raise awareness about the importance of cardiovascular health and an opportunity to focus on what we can do to improve our heart health. Heart disease impacts almost all of us at some point in our lives, either indirectly or directly. It is the second leading cause of death for both men and women in Canada.
Prevention is key in reducing the risk of heart and cardiovascular disease. Adopting healthy habits such as staying physically active, maintaining a balanced diet, limiting highly processed foods, avoiding smoking, prioritizing quality sleep and managing stress can significantly support heart health and overall well-being.
This month is an excellent time to reflect and take steps to making positive and healthy choices for today and into the future. These choices can include taking small steps laid out in the 24-hour movement guidelines: Move more, reduce sedentary time and sleep well. Prioritizing daily movement, like a walk outside, is a great example. Eating a variety of healthy foods each day and scheduling regular appointments with a health care provider are also important for maintaining heart health. Healthy lifestyle choices combined with early detection and management of medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol can help you reduce your risk of heart disease.
Together, we can make healthy living a priority and work towards improving our cardiovascular health.
Throughout the month, we will be featuring our cardiac program teams at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, in recognition of their incredible work helping cardiac patients from across Northwestern Ontario.
As we exit out of this first month of 2025, I have a profound sense of optimism. The past year has undoubtedly presented its challenges, and together, we have demonstrated our resilience, dedication, and unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care for every patient, every time.
To begin, let me say how exciting it is to bring you an update on the evolution of the Cardiovascular Surgery Program (CVS). The CVS program is a monumental step forward in providing comprehensive healthcare to our community – the final link to a full clinical acute care service for our community and region. CVS will require significant investment in both state-of-the-art technology and people. This includes advanced imaging systems, catheterization labs, and minimally invasive surgical equipment. These advancements will ensure we can support and advance cardiovascular care. More importantly, patients will benefit in so many ways, including improving early diagnosis, enhancing treatment options, and providing better overall management of cardiovascular diseases.
Congratulations to the Cardiovascular Surgery Project team and leadership for bringing us closer to getting the CVS Program project readied for the next steps. In case you missed it, the funding for capital implementation (construction) was announced this week – $ 98.9 million towards the estimated $122.2 million cost to complete the project – another major milestone for our Hospital. I would like to thank the Foundation, the Hearts at Home Campaign Cabinet and our community who have raised funds to support this project.
Over the coming weeks or so, you will begin to see some initial activity around the Hospital as we begin this extensive initiative. Next steps will also include working with our partners and stakeholders to finalize our funding and operational needs.
As you may be aware, politically, we are currently in a holding pattern in Ontario. Throughout the coming months until the election concludes, the government will operate under the caretaker convention, a principle ensuring that ministers and officials avoid making major policy decisions, appointments, or commitments that could bind future governments. The caretaker period typically begins with the dissolution of the legislature and continues until the new government is sworn in, ensuring a smooth and democratic transition of power. This convention maintains political neutrality and ensures that newly elected officials can make their own decisions without being constrained by the actions of the outgoing administration.
So what does this all mean for us? It means that routine operations will continue, but any major policy decisions, funding announcements, or appointments that are not urgent or in the public interest will be deferred until after the election. This is necessary and helps ensure that public resources are not used for partisan advantage and that the democratic process is respected. Until then, we will move forward with our current projects and operational initiatives.
Next week is Teaching and Learning Week with many events planned including another opportunity to hear from our dedicated staff who are constantly engaged in research and innovation to enhance the quality of care services we provide. Their commitment to continuous learning and development ensures that we remain leaders in the healthcare industry, always striving to deliver the best possible care to our patients. I hope to see you at the events as we showcase our talents and cutting-edge solutions.
As we forge ahead, I am confident that this year will be marked by significant achievements and milestones. Our collective efforts will not only enhance the quality of care we provide but also strengthen the bonds within our community.
I hope you will embrace this new year with optimism, determination, and a shared vision for a healthier and brighter future where we will together deliver Exceptional care for every patient, every time. Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare and make a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.
As always, I welcome your feedback on these blogs or on any other matter. You can contact me at: rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net. I enjoy hearing from you.
We each play a vital role in advancing our strategic priorities and achieving our vision of Exceptional care for every patient, every time. To increase awareness of the progress we are making on Strategic Plan 2026, we are sharing highlights of each strategic priority every quarter. The full list of each “Quarterly Strategic Initiative Highlights” can be found on the intranet.
Researcher Staffing and Recruitment
Key initiatives underway include:
Joint Nurse Researcher Appointment with Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. This appointment is one full-time, tenure track faculty appointment in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences/School of Nursing. The successful candidate(s) will work towards expanding the current state of nursing research, build capacity, and enhance community and other partnerships.
Lakehead University/Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (LU/TBRHRI) Chair in the School of Nursing at Lakehead University and at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre/Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. One full-time, tenure track faculty appointment in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences/School of Nursing. This is a 5-year renewable appointment; the successful candidate will engage in a combination of teaching, research and service duties.
The review of applications will start September 2024 and will continue until the positions are filled. Please visit www.lakeheadu.ca for further details.
**Update January 29** The area in front of Volunteer Services will be blocked off starting at 2:00 p.m.
There has been a delay to the start of the repairs, and they will now begin Wednesday, January 29
Over the next several months, we will be completing repairs to the terrazzo flooring in the Main Lobby and in the Cafeteria. Work will occur overnight between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. but the work area will be closed off 24-hours/day to protect the area and equipment and to ensure the safety of staff, patients and visitors.
This Monday, January 27, we will be starting the repairs in the space in front of Volunteer Services. Please see the attached map (below). The work is expected to span the week.
This work area will impact access routes to:
the main doors to Adult Mental Health via Level 2 —> access should be via Elevator-01 (at the East Entrance)
the main door to Volunteer Services —> access will be via Office 2008 during daytime hours
access to the east doors to the Cancer Centre (at the north end of the main corridor) —> access should be via the Level 3 bridge from Health Records to Supportive Care
the Grand Staircase will be closed off between Level 1 and Level 2; they will remain accessible between Level 2 and Level 3
Support Services and Pharmacy – it’s suggested that staff utilize the first floor to travel to Elevator-01 then up to Level 2 to get to AMH
Code Response – alternate routes to AMH should be worked out in advance and communicated clearly to response teams
We will be providing updates via the Informed newsletter as construction continues throughout the Main Lobby and Cafeteria.
New cardiovascular surgery program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will connect more people to care in Northwestern Ontario
(From L-R): Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan; Dr. Stephen Adams, Chair, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation Board; Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute; and Christine Bates, First Vice Chair, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Board.
The Ontario government is celebrating a key milestone connecting more people in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario to life-saving cardiac care by awarding the construction contract and investing over $93 million to build the new Cardiovascular Surgery Program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. This new funding builds on the over $5.7 million the government has previously invested to support early planning and design for this transformational project.
“Today marks a significant milestone for Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario with the announcement of the new Cardiovascular Surgery Program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre,” said The Hon. Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan. “This $93 million investment will bring life-saving cardiac care closer to home for thousands of residents, eliminating the need for travel to Toronto for surgery. Since I was elected in 2022, I’ve worked closely with local healthcare providers to as of today secure over $263 million in life-changing funding for the healthcare sector in Thunder Bay – Atikokan. This is a testament to our government’s commitment to improving access to care and investing in the health of every Ontarian. I look forward to the great impact this transformative project will have on our community.”
Through this investment, over 76,000 square feet of space will be renovated and expanded to accommodate a new comprehensive Cardiovascular Surgery Program that will allow Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to complete vital cardiac procedures, reduce wait times for urgent and elective procedures and ensure timely access to essential services in the region.
This transformative project will include:
14 new cardiovascular surgery inpatient cardiac care unit beds
6 coronary care unit beds
A new, state-of-the-art surgical suite equipped with C-arm imaging technology and recovery area
An expanded ambulatory care and pre-admission clinic
A new vascular lab
Renovations to medical devices reprocessing and biomedical departments
This cardiovascular surgery program would be the first of its kind in Northwestern Ontario and will help save patients in the region from travelling over 10 hours to receive surgery in Toronto. By offering these lifesaving cardiovascular services in Northwestern Ontario, the program will also help to increase capacity and address surgical wait times in other hospitals across the province that currently perform cardiovascular surgeries for patients from Northwestern Ontario.
“Our government is making record investments to modernize and expand hospitals across the province to connect people of all ages to the care they need, no matter where they live,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “The addition of this new cardiovascular surgery program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will allow people across Northwestern Ontario to access state-of-the-art cardiac care, in their community, when they need it.”
Construction on this project is scheduled to begin in early 2025 and is expected to be completed in late 2027.
“This investment in Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is great news for the people of Northwestern Ontario. It brings us closer to establishing a Cardiovascular program – meaning patients can look forward to receiving lifesaving treatment right here at home,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre. “We are committed to evolving to meet the needs of our community and this funding helps us do just that. We appreciate the support in making high quality care more accessible and the government’s dedication to invest in our future.”
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government is expanding and modernizing Ontario’s hospitals, making it faster and easier for people of all ages to connect to the high-quality care they need, where and when they need it.
QUICK FACTS
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is a world-class, 375-bed acute care facility that serves over 250,000 people in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario.
In December 2024, the Ontario government also announced an investment of $9.3 million to support the expansion of Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre’s cancer care services by expanding the linear accelerator (LINAC) service from two to three units, connecting more people in Northwestern Ontario to life-saving radiation therapy, closer to home.
Over the next 10 years, Ontario’s investments will lead to nearly $50 billion in health infrastructure across the province, building 3,000 new beds in addition to over 3,500 critical care, acute and post-acute beds our government has added since 2020.
Through Your Health, Ontario is getting shovels in the ground for over 50 hospital developments across the province.
The Ontario government is investing more than $228 million this year to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 129 hospitals and 58 community health care facilities across the province, a 10 per cent increase from last year. In 2024-25, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre received a total allocation of $33,868 through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund program.
