We’re celebrating 20 years of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) by taking a trip down memory lane to revisit some of our most significant milestones.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, donors to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, community members and partners in health who have played a vital role in building exceptional healthcare for patients and families in Northwestern Ontario.

This week, we’re remembering 📅 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 (📸)

1) TBRHSC celebrated 14 successful years of Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC) with the return of the annual Sharing and Caring Together Exhibition.

2) Ornge, Ontario’s provider of air ambulance and critical care transport services, and TBRHSC, announced northern Ontario’s first ‘Blood on Board’ program.

3) TBRHSC joined St. Joseph’s Care Group in offering the Wake the Giant Virtual Indigenous Culture and Inclusivity Training for their employees.

Visit www.tbrhsc.net/20years for more milestones.

Shared on behalf of Jennifer Madahbee, Manager, Strategy & Performance

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I am pleased to welcome Erin Kilar-Bearman to the Strategy and Performance department as a temporary Performance Improvement Consultant, effective January 13th.

Erin will be with our team for one year. Erin comes to our team from the Information Technology Administrative Assistant role, where she has spent the past year providing support to the Informatics department. She holds a Masters of Science in Management, an Honours Bachelor of Commerce and is actively working on obtaining her Project Management Professional designation. Erin has experience working closely with stakeholders to meet project deliverables, achieve strategic business goals by utilizing a systems thinking approach, and leading business process improvement initiatives. 

Erin brings diverse experience, education and skills that will be a great asset to the team as we move forward with the Strategic Plan 2026. 

Please join me in congratulating Erin on her new role!

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 January 8, Operational Updates and Strategic Planning Meeting featured an update on Staff Experience – Professional Development presented by Jeannine Verdenik, Vice President, People and Culture and Trisha Gibson, Manager, Human Resources and Organizational Development.

Visit the Strategic Plan 2026 page on the Hospital’s corporate intranet, where these presentations, along with other resources can be found.

Shared on behalf of Andrea Raynak, Director, Nursing Practice & Learning

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As we reflect on 2024, I’m thrilled to share a significant milestone achieved by the R.E.F.S. team. Through their innovative education initiative, we engaged an incredible 5,224 staff members!

To celebrate this remarkable success and the collaboration that made it possible, we’re planning special events in February. Stay tuned for more details as we come together to recognize this achievement.

Looking ahead, the R.E.F.S. education series for January will focus on the Perioperative Pathway.

Please print and display the attached poster, and encourage your teams to attend and participate in this valuable learning experience.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to our staff’s professional growth.

The Renal department would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in the Hospital-wide Christmas food drive campaign for the Renal Cupboard. This initiative has a significant impact on supporting some of our most vulnerable patients, who access the cupboard daily.

The Renal Food Cupboard is managed and maintained by members of our Renal Team – Katie Amadeo (Dietitian), Elizabeth Arbour (Dietitian), Laurenne Stuart (Social Worker) and Marisa Tamasi (Dietitian). As a group, they have established a system to track and follow ongoing needs of our patients.

Past donations have largely come from the annual Christmas food drive campaign, organized by the health care/EMS pray chain and donations from Renal staff throughout the year. In times of increased need, we have partnered with the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) to put on a renal food drive at a local grocery store. Recently, our team has been able to secure donation support from the Kidney Foundation for this cause.

Dietary needs of patients with kidney failure can vary widely, but we aim to largely supply foods that are low in phosphorus, potassium and sodium. With that in mind, all food is accepted and labeled with caution.

Food donations and hygiene items are always welcomed and appreciated. If looking to donate you can connect with any of the above mentioned team members.

Kidney-Friendly Foods

• Oatmeal
• Cereal – Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Special K
• Unsalted/Low sodium crackers – soda crackers, rice crackers, rice cakes (plain)
• Unfortified almond milk (tetra pack)
• Peanut butter
• Pasta noodles
• Rice
• Mayonnaise
• Pesto
• Canned tuna or salmon (packed in water)
• Canned fruits (packed in water)
• Canned vegetables (no tomatoes)
• Applesauce

Staff from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s Informatics Team (consisting of Information Technology, Information Systems, Health Records and the Meditech Expanse Program) raised over $600 ($613.75 to be exact) during the recent holiday season for our Hospital’s Patient Clothing Cupboard. The money will be used by volunteers to purchase brand new socks and underwear for patients in need.

Shared on behalf of Jessica Logozzo, Vice President, Strategy and Regional Transformation

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I am pleased to announce Wendy Lange has accepted the position of Executive Assistant, Strategy and Regional Transformation. Wendy will begin to transition to this role effective January 20, while her current role is being recruited.

Wendy has provided executive support to the Chief of Staff and Vice President, Medical and Academic Affairs Offices for the past nine years, as well as supporting the Quality and Risk Management Office for several years prior.

Wendy’s extensive knowledge and experience in her previous roles, along with a Certificate in Office Administration from Confederation College, makes her a great asset to the portfolio.

Wendy will be in the Administration Suite – 3rd level and can be reached by phone at (807) 684-7213.

Please join me in welcoming Wendy to her new role!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Shannon Maki who has provided executive support to me over the last several months – thank 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.

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Coordination and Support for Patients Who Frequently Access Hospital Services

The heart failure clinic has seen 318 referrals to date from the inception of the clinic in August 2023 to September 2024.

Patients with a primary diagnosis of heart failure (HF) are the patient population selected for this Strategic Plan initiative. In August 2023, the HF clinic established a model that connects patients who present to the Hospital with heart failure to a rapid access outpatient HF clinic to optimize treatment. Patients are identified in the Emergency Department and seen by Rajesh Talpade, NP, and Dr. Akbari to determine the best plan of care. The outpatient HF clinic operates once a week, with patients being seen by Kathryn Bill, NP, and Dr. Akbari to follow up on interventions initiated in the hospital.

Year-to-date, repeat visits for HF have decreased to 18.8%, compared to 24.2% in 2023/2024.

Next Steps

• Plans are being developed to continue and sustain the HF Clinic.
• Preparing to receive Ontario Health home monitoring platform (software and equipment) to resume remote monitoring of patients. This will further enhance care for patients with HF

For a full list of highlights from the latest quarterly update, download the document below:

Q2 Update (July 1, 2024 – September 30 2024)

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.

No referrals are necessary to access care at the Maternity Centre.

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 110 babies born at our Hospital during the month of December. In 2024, a total of 1,400 babies were born at TBRHSC. Congratulations on the new bundles of joy!

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