Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control
Please be advised that the COVID-19 outbreak has been declared over at the Transitional Crae Unit at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center as of Tuesday October 15th, 2024. All restrictions have been lifted.
Please share this information with the appropriate staff.
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) department plays a vital role within Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. This team works tirelessly to ensure the safest practices are in place, and followed, for both patients and staff. National Infection Control Week (October 14-18) highlights these safety efforts and educates staff and the community about infection prevention and control. We celebrate and thank the IPAC team for their hard work and dedication.
Pharmacy Technician Day (October 15) recognizes the invaluable contributions made by Registered Pharmacy Technicians who work tirelessly to ensure patients receive their medications safely and accurately.
The role of a pharmacy technician is an integral part of any pharmacy operation, including Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. We appreciate all that our pharmacy technician team does for our patients, their families and staff. Please take this day to show your support for our pharmacy technician team.
To learn more about the profession, or if you are interested in becoming a pharmacy technician check out the Ontario College of Pharmacists website at https://www.ocpinfo.com/registration/register-technician/.
For the month of October, our IT/IS team wants to highlight Cyber Security Awareness. The campaign aims to support staff with tools and knowledge on how to protect their digital assets, personal and work information, and online privacy. We’ll be posting information on cyber security every week along with a trivia question. Participants have a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift Card.
Deepfakes are fake videos or audio recordings that look and sound incredibly real. They’re made using artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can edit and manipulate media to make it seem like someone is saying or doing something they never actually did.
Imagine getting a video message from your manager asking you to send them your credentials to check something work related.
The video looks just like your manager, but it’s actually a fake created by a scammer. This is how deepfakes can be used for phishing – tricking you into giving away important information or money.
Think Twice: If you get a strange request, even if it seems to be from someone you know, stop and think about whether it makes sense.
Look Closely: Check the video or audio carefully. Does anything look off? Maybe the person blinks weirdly, or the lighting doesn’t look quite right. The sound might also be a bit strange. These could be signs that it’s a deepfake.
Remember, in the digital world, it’s important to be careful and think critically about what you see and hear.
How to spot Deep fake video:
https://www.newscientist.com/video/2445983-how-to-spot-deepfakes-and-ai-generated-images/
Answer this week’s trivia question on cyber security and enter a draw for a chance to win an Amazon gift card: https://redcap.sjcg.net/surveys/?s=AA3ECDKKKN
Health care plant maintenance, planning and engineering staff are the in-house professionals responsible for facilities management, planning, development and maintenance of complex health care systems, equipment and facilities. Our health care facilities rely on these staff to provide the necessary skills and resources to develop and manage the environment of care within our organization in an efficient manner and with the patient in mind.
October 13-19 is National Health Care Facilities and Engineering Week, and it is meant to recognize and honour the plant, maintenance, planning and engineering staff on behalf of all who benefit from them.
Please join us in thanking these staff members for their contributions in maintaining a safe, secure and functioning environment for our Hospital.
The second full week of each October (13-19) is dedicated to celebrating the important role of Medical Device Reprocessing Departments (MDRD) across the country, just like the one at our Hospital.
The MDRD staff is made up of certified technicians that wash, inspect, assemble, wrap, sterilize and distribute instruments to the Operating Room and clinics throughout the Hospital. With a focus on patient safety and quality assurance, the proper reprocessing of reusable patient care items is more important than it ever has been.
Staff in the MDRD work almost 24/7 to make sure physicians, nurses and surgeons have the clean sterile instruments they need to provide exceptional care for every patient, every time.
Have questions or feedback?
Contact Mēsha Richard, Lead, Emergency Preparedness at mesha.richard@tbh.net.
(Via the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation)
We all know the Emergency Department is busy. But did you know that the clinical lab tucked away directly below Emerg is just as busy? There are about 180 lab professionals working in Laboratory Services at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, performing over 7,500 tests per day.
There are multiple departments within the lab including Microbiology, Chemistry, and Blood Bank. Pathology is another. This is where lab techs examine tissue samples such as breast, lung, and liver for biopsy received from the Operating Room (OR) and other areas of the Hospital. If the oncologists or pathologists are testing for cancer, often they order cancer biomarker testing using a device called an ImmunoHistoChemical (IHC) Stainer.
The IHC Stainer is a remarkable piece of equipment. Lab techs place thin sections of tissue onto microscope slides. Then, they add a “stain” to the sample, which contains specific antibodies that will react with cancer cells, before putting the slides into the IHC Stainer for incubation and processing. Not only does the test confirm whether or not cancer cells are present, specific biomarkers in those cells can tell oncologists a lot about the type of cancer.
For example, “breast cancer” isn’t one disease but a group of diseases. Some types of breast cancer respond well to chemotherapy while others do not. Oncologists use biomarker information to develop the best treatment plan for that patient.
The Hospital has two IHC Stainers in order to keep up with current volumes. Both run at full capacity, daily. But one of these units was getting older and at greater risk of breaking down. If that happened, turnaround time for results and diagnosis would have been delayed.
“We require two units due to increased volumes,” said Donna Kane, Lead Medical Laboratory Technologist in Histotechnology/Pathology at the Hospital. “Our team works constantly to get results to physicians as soon as possible for patient care.”
Troubleshooting issues with an IHC Stainer is complex and shipping samples to southern Ontario is not ideal due to risks and delays. It’s important that Laboratory Services keeps equipment up to date so that all samples can be tested on site.
“One of our stainers was antiquated and at risk of failure. That could cause delays in diagnosis and treatments, which can adversely affect patient outcomes,” said Georgia Carr, Manager of Laboratory Services & Medical Laboratory Technologist. “Accurate results and quick turnaround times rely on efficient lab equipment.”
Thanks to a recent anonymous donation to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, a new IHC Stainer is now up and running in the lab. This generous investment in equipment will collectively benefit healthcare staff and patients in Thunder Bay and the region with precise cancer diagnosis for better cancer care.
Cancer touches everyone, but one donation can make a life-saving difference. When we all support a meaningful cause, the possibilities are endless! Make your donation today, and let’s ensure that all patients in Northwestern Ontario can get the healthcare they need, closer to home.
Make your donation today at: healthsciencesfoundation.ca/donate
Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control
An outbreak of Entero Rhino has been declared on Forensics unit as of October 8, 2024. All restrictions are in place.
Outbreak # 2262-2024-00108
Please share this information with the appropriate staff.
As always, our number one priority is the safety of patients and their families, staff and visitors. All patients identified as having an exposure to this outbreak will require isolation with appropriate additional precautions.
The department of Infection Prevention and Control encourages everyone to keep applying the routine practices of hand hygiene, proper use of PPE, equipment cleaning, and the appropriate admission screening of all patients. Please set an example for staff and students and assist us by maintaining compliance and due diligence.
For more information, contact Infection Prevention and Control at extension 6094.
As part of our commitment to keeping staff engaged and informed on our Strategic Plan 2026, Strategy and Performance is sharing updates in alignment with the identified priorities: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Patient Experience, Staff Experience and Research, Innovation, & Learning.
The October 9th Operational Updates and Strategic Planning Meeting featured an update on Patient Experience: Substance Use and Addictions Strategy and was presented by Chad Johnson, Director, Trauma & Pre-Hospital Programs, Critical Care, Emergency, Respiratory Services, and Nurse Led Outreach Team (NLOT) and Crystal Edwards, Director, Women & Children’s Program and Adult & Forensic Mental Health.
Visit the Strategic Plan 2026 page on the Hospital’s corporate intranet, where these presentations, along with other resources can be found.