Health Sciences Foundation Unveils Historic December Draw

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This December, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation is set to launch its largest-ever guaranteed 50/50 Grand Prize of $2.5 million, making it the biggest guaranteed 50/50 prize in Canadian history. Glenn Craig, Hospital Foundation CEO, shared the exciting announcement at today’s launch event at the Thunder Bay 50/50 Store in Intercity Shopping Centre.

“Last year, the guaranteed Grand Prize was $2 million,” Craig said. “This year, we’re raising the stakes even further, offering a $2.5 million minimum guarantee and more than doubling the Early Bird prizes. We’re also introducing a host of exciting new elements that will make this month-long experience unlike anything our buyers have seen before.”

• This month’s guaranteed prize of $2.5 million is the largest 50/50 draw guarantee.
• There are $250,000 in Early Bird prizes, including a $50,000 Holiday Bonus Draw on December 31st.
• Bonus Numbers have been added across the board, to every ticket package. In addition, and back by popular demand, is the fan-favourite December only Special Holiday Ticket Package; featuring 1500 chances to win PLUS an additional 500 bonus numbers.
• The December 50/50 will be five weeks long, with the Grand Prize draw taking place on January 3rd, 2025.
• Every ticket sold at the Thunder Bay 50/50 store inside the Intercity Shopping Centre will come complete with a Holiday Gift Package! This includes a Christmas card, draw calendar and red envelope.

The December 50/50 draw is based entirely on feedback received from Thunder Bay 50/50 supporters throughout 2024. Proceeds from this month’s draw will support vital equipment purchases at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre including the Hospital’s Emergency Department. 

“Thanks to a portion of the proceeds from the past two December 50/50 draws, we are now closer than ever to seeing renovations begin to the triage area of our Emergency Department,” says Kyle Lansdell, Chief of Emergency and Trauma Services at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. “I’m happy to share that construction is currently scheduled to begin in 2025. This project will greatly improve patient care, flow, and the overall experience for everyone who walks through our doors.

”Glenn Craig, President & CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, adds, “While we’re excited to see this project move forward, it’s just the beginning. No matter who the lucky winner of the $2.5 million (or more) may be, we’ll all be unwrapping better healthcare this holiday season.

”The December 50/50 Draw Opens Friday, November 29th at 11:30AM! Tickets will be available online or in-person at the Thunder Bay 50/50 Store inside Intercity Shopping Centre. People can buy for themselves or give as gifts! Ticket packages are as follows:

• $10 for 5 numbers + 5 BONUS numbers = 10 numbers total
• $20 for 30 numbers + 20 BONUS numbers = 50 numbers total
• $50 for 150 numbers + BONUS 50 numbers = 200 numbers total
• $100 for 500 numbers + BONUS 200 numbers = 700 numbers total
• $250 December only Special Holiday Ticket Package for 1500 numbers + BONUS 500 numbers = 2,000 numbers total (Best Value)

** Ticket purchasers must be present in Ontario to purchase and 18 years of age or older. Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 2nd, 2025 to be eligible for the Grand Prize Draw on Friday, January 3rd, at 11:00 a.m.

It’s one of the busiest areas of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. But even though it’s key to patient care, patients never even see it…

Laboratory Services takes up a large area directly below the Emergency Department and beside Labour & Delivery. About 180 medical lab professionals work 24/7, 365 days a year performing over 2.5 million diagnostic tests annually.

The Hospital’s lab is absolutely vital for patient diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Without these advanced lab tests, modern medicine as we know it simply couldn’t exist.

“Our highly trained medical lab professionals touch patients’ lives every day – including weekends and holidays,” said Georgia Carr, Manager of Laboratory Services. “Close to 70 per cent of all clinical treatment decisions are based on laboratory test results.”

Those tests include:

• Pathology – testing tissues for diseases such as cancer
• Microbiology – growing organisms such as bacteria from patient samples to diagnose infections
• Biochemistry – determining levels of various chemicals in the body including blood sugar, vitamins, hormones, electrolytes, and drugs/alcohol
• Transfusion Medicine – storing and testing blood products
• Haematology – testing for blood diseases and disorders such as lymphoma, leukemia, anaemia, and bleeding disorders

“Quality and accuracy are paramount – there isn’t any room for error,” Carr said. “We need to keep up to date with technological advancements to ensure the highest quality tests, and bring new tests to Thunder Bay when they become available.”

Community support from generous donors to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation ensures the Hospital lab can keep up with these advancements.

Dr. Joseph Del Paggio, Chief of Oncology at the Hospital and co-organizer of the Dancing with the Docs fundraiser with his sister Patricia, said that funds from this year’s event will support Laboratory Services.

“Patients and physicians are indebted to the unsung heroes of the Laboratory Services,” Dr. Del Paggio said, adding that cancer care can’t happen without cancer tests. “Our laboratory works tirelessly in order for our oncologists to accurately diagnose and stage cancers, personalize safe and effective treatment options, and monitor patients during treatment with blood work and other tests.”

That new and upgraded lab equipment includes: a spectrophotometer to determine chemicals in a sample, an electrophoresis to separate proteins in blood, freezers and a fridge to keep samples at appropriate temperatures, a centrifuge to spin blood, a cell washer to prepare blood for analysis, a microtome to cut extremely thin tissue samples for microscope analysis, and a new microscope for examining cell/tissue samples.

If that list of items means nothing to you, don’t worry – you’re not alone! It speaks to how complex lab services really are. The bottom line is that this indispensible equipment provides high-quality, advanced lab tests for Hospital patients every day.

You can help support lab equipment purchases that are so important to patient care. Donate online, or visit or call the Health Sciences Foundation Donation Centre at 807-345-4673 and ask to direct your donation to Laboratory Services. Your gift today will have an impact on literally millions of tests every year!

Please note that the COVID-19 vaccine clinic in OHS has many openings on its last date of November 29. The Pfizer KP.2 vaccine is offered to all staff, professional staff, learners and volunteers of TBRHSC.

Please call OHS at 684-6212 to book your appointment.

Staff must bring a piece of government issued identification in order to obtain the vaccine. Your health card is preferred.

On November 27, Canadians celebrate National Physician Assistant Day, which recognizes the physician assistant (PA) profession and its contributions to health care in Canada. Working alongside physicians and other health professionals, PAs are having a positive impact on many aspects of health care from emergency room wait times, access to primary care, the quality of seniors care and access to health care in rural communities.

Join us in celebrating these health care heroes today. Learn more about the profession by visiting the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants website.

Click here to update your information on the 411 staff directory.

(Via TBNewswatch.com)

Eight local physicians swapped their scrubs for sequins to raise funds for the hospital’s laboratory services.

“This is a group of really unsung heroes who work night and day to provide data to all the doctors that really guides patient care. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to provide effective care in my opinion,” said co-organizer Joseph Del Paggio.

Dancing with the Docs, a local fundraiser inspired by Dancing with the Stars, was held at the Superior Inn on Saturday evening. This year, they raised over $120,000, the finally tally is still being calculated.

“We had an incredible amount of community support this time around, but we also have our doctors and dancers who are fundraising. We’re doing very well,” said Patricia Del Paggio.

The siblings combined their passions and created the event together, in honour of their mother who passed away from cancer in 2019.

Joseph is chief of the oncology department at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Patricia is a drama teacher.

The inaugural event was held in 2020, and with great success of the second in 2022, Patricia and Joseph brought the event back for the third time this year.

Joseph said the event raised $200,000 back in 2022.

“That went toward funding of the PET scanner for the hospital that’s now being utilized by numerous patients, many of whom have cancer and many of whom benefit greatly from this,” Joseph said.

It was very successful and we thought it would be a great way to focus the spotlight on another really important department of the hospital, the department of laboratory medicine.” said Joseph.

“We were kind of the catalyst in getting that pet scanner to our community. Our focus every year is going to be on cancer care because that is something our mother went through and we want to help that within our community,” said Patricia.

There were 500 tickets available. They all were sold by the dancers and the doctors, before getting out to the public.

Patricia said the plan is to continue holding the event every two years.

Shared on behalf of Dr. Miranda Lesperance, Vice President, Indigenous Collaboration, Equity & Inclusion

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I am pleased to announce Rae-Anne Robinson as our new Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Coordinator, effective December 2, 2024.

Rae-Anne started her career at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre in 2015 as a Ward Clerk. She then went on to obtain her Honours Bachelor of Social Work from Lakehead University in 2018 and in 2019, transitioned into the role of Social Worker at TBRHSC, working in both in-patient and out-patient settings, most recently at the Regional Bariatric Care Centre.

Rae-Anne is passionate about improving access to health care services for members of equity-deserving groups, and therefore joined the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Committee at TBRHSC in 2023. She was also recently appointed to the City of Thunder Bay’s Anti-Racism and Equity Advisory committee as a citizen member. Rae-Anne has completed French studies throughout her academic career and continues to advance her French skills at the Novo Centre.  Rae-Anne has taken courses in American Sign Language through Canadian Hearing Services, and has completed a multitude of other valuable trainings for Indigenous and Equity-deserving populations. 

Rae-Anne looks forward to collaborating with community organizations and developing partnerships that will help to build a strong culture of inclusion at TBRHSC and improve safe, equitable access to healthcare services in Thunder Bay.

As the EDI Coordinator, Rae-Anne will report to the Director of Indigenous Collaboration, Equity and Inclusion and will collaborate and provide support to the Equity and Inclusion portfolio as well as EDI programs and initiatives for patients, families, staff, professional staff, learners and volunteers at TBRHSC. She will collaborate with external partners to support EDI programs and initiatives.

Rae-Anne can be found on Level 1, Room 1479. She can be reached via email at Rae-Anne.Robinson@tbh.net.

Please join me in congratulating Rae-Anne on her new role within the organization. 

Shared on behalf of Adam Vinet, Vice President, Patient Experience & Chief Nursing Executive and Regional Vice President, Regional Cancer Care; and Justin Garofalo, Interim Vice President, Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer

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We are excited to hear your feedback on the UKG Pro Workforce Management (UKG Pro) scheduling system we launched earlier this year!

Your experience with this tool is incredibly important to us, and we want to ensure that it truly meets your needs and supports your day-to-day work. Whether the system has helped streamline your scheduling, provided more flexibility, or offered other benefits, we want to know how it is working for you.

Please take a few minutes to complete the UKG Pro Scheduling System All Staff Feedback Survey. The survey will be open until December 20, 2024. Your input will help us make meaningful improvements for everyone.

We would also like to take a moment to recognize and thank everyone who contributed to the successful transition to UKG Pro. Your collaboration and dedication have been key to making this change smooth for the whole organization.

We depend on each other every day and it is nice to know we can continue to depend on each other even as we make changes to how we do our work.

Thank you to all staff for your ongoing support for improvements and for being an integral part of this change.

Click Here for Survey Link.

The Centre for Applied Health Research (CAHR) at St. Joseph’s Care Group (SJCG) is pleased to host the 2025 Showcase of Health Research on Friday, February 7, 2025. The Showcase has become the premier peer-reviewed annual venue for the dissemination of research relevant to the health of Northwestern Ontarians. The conference features podium and poster presentations by health professionals, students, and scientists.

We cordially invite you to participate in this event by submitting an abstract. We are interested in podium and poster presentations of health research ranging from prevention to service delivery and from basic to applied research. Please click the link above for further details. The deadline for abstract submission is 11:59 PM on Friday, November 22, 2024.