A lot of green has just popped up in Charles Paxton’s wallet today! He received the lucky call this morning advising him that he had just won the grand prize of $1,385,850 in the April 50/50 draw.

When Charles shared the incredible news with his wife Judy, a long-time nurse, that they had won the April 50/50, she didn’t believe him. Fearing it might be a scam, Judy called back to hear it for herself. Reflecting on his past, Charles said, “in 2001, I spent many weeks in the ICU. I owe my life to the hospital because I’m able to walk again.” Charles and Judy hope to celebrate with their family, and do some traveling in a new motorhome they are planning to shop for this weekend.

Proceeds from the Thunder Bay 50/50 monthly draw go towards purchasing vital tools such as equipment for exceptional cancer care for patients here at the hospital and across the region. To date, over $39 Million in prizes has been awarded to winners from across Ontario.

“Since its inception, our 50/50 draw has had over 200 winners, with 12 of them becoming millionaires,” says Glenn Craig, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. We never expected such a remarkable outcome from our lottery. Beyond enriching the lives of our winners, the proceeds from the 50/50 are advancing patient care at our hospital sooner than we ever could by funding millions into new and replacement equipment.”

May Draw Now Open

May’s draw will feature more chances to WIN with $62,000 in Early Bird draws. Thirteen of those draws will betaking place in just the first week AND we are also bringing back bonus numbers on both the $20 and $75 ticket packages!

The grand prize jackpot happens Friday, May 31, 2024. Tickets are now available online only at www.thunderbay5050.ca. Ticket packages are as follows:

• $10 for 5 numbers
• $20 for 30 numbers + 20 BONUS numbers = 50 numbers
• $50 for 150 numbers
• $75 for 300 numbers + 100 BONUS numbers = 400 numbers

** Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 30, 2024 to be eligible for the Grand Prize draw on Friday, May 31, at 11:00 a.m.

Shared on behalf of Adam Vinet, VP Patient Experience, Chief Nursing Executive and RVP, Regional Cancer Centre

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The rates of Influenza Like Illnesses (ILI) in Thunder Bay and Region have significantly reduced over the past several weeks. In light of the decreased ILI activity we are looking at moving our masking protocols back to “normal state”.|

Starting on Monday April 29, 2024 all staff, professional staff, learners and volunteers are required to wear a Level 3 procedure mask where 6ft physical distancing standards cannot be maintained while providing patient care. Staff, professional staff, learners and volunteers do not need to wear a mask when entering a patient’s room and not providing direct care provided they maintain physical distance. Essential Care Partners/Care Partners (ECPs/CPs) are not required to mask when entering a patients room.
All staff, professional staff, learners, volunteers and ECPs/CPs are encouraged to exercise their own risk analysis and level of comfort for masking above the minimum requirements. Masking is required at all times for anyone who fails self-screening and their presence is essential at the hospital and/or masking is deemed necessary based on IPAC protocols.

Masks will be made available at all public/staff entrances on the sanitizing stands, as well as at the unit/department level should you or a member of the public require a mask.

Staff, Professional Staff, Learners, Volunteers and ECP/CP’s will continue to wear a level 3 procedure mask at all times while on the Acute Oncology wing of 1A, for protection of the patients. In order to reduce the spread of communicable disease we encourage everyone to follow proper hand hygiene techniques.

Thank you for your commitment to keeping our patients, staff and Hospital safe. If you have any questions, please ask your manager or reach out to IPAC (684-6094) for further details on best practices.

Shared on behalf of Casey Ladouceur, Manager, Capital and Program Development

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I am pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Sedano as the CVS Project Coordinator, Capital & Program Development effective April 22, 2024.

Reporting to myself, Daniel will be primarily responsible for overseeing the Cardio Vascular Surgery Project as Project Coordinator, working closely with and under the direction of Nella Lawrence. As the Project Coordinator of the CVS Expansion, he will help with project management and coordination of the large scale expansion project from planning through execution; track and management of the project documentation; monitor the progress of work; and, develop working relationships and synergy with project stakeholders.

Daniel has recently completed the Engineering Business and Safety Management course at Confederation College, which included Operations, Project, Cost & Contract, Supply Chain and Logistics Management courses. As part of this course, he completed a 4-month position with the hospital as Assistant Capital Planner. During this time, he was able to apply the knowledge he gained from his courses. He showed incredible time-management, project coordination, and team-work. Prior to Confederation College he finished his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Philippines.

Daniel also has experience in construction project supervision, managing productivity, schedules, material requisitions and progress billings. His experience and education make him a valuable asset to the team.

Please join me in welcoming Daniel to the TBRHSC team!

Please note that any revisions made to the calendar will be posted to the Intranet and to the bulletin board in the Professional Staff Lounge.

We’re celebrating 20 years of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC). Throughout the year, we’ll be 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.

📅 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬 (📸)

1) Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews helped open the Regional Bariatric Care Centre for the care of obese and morbidly obese patients.

2) Paediatric Operating Room tours began for young patients.

3) TBRHSC and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre opened an MRI-Guided, Focused Ultrasound Surgery Centre.

4) TBRHSC welcomed new President and CEO, Andrée Robichaud.

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

Administrative Professionals Day (April 24) recognizes and celebrates the work of administrative assistants, executive assistants, clerks and other office professionals for their contributions to the workplace.

Thank you to all of the amazing administrative professionals at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation for your dedication, knowledge and hard work. Today, we celebrate YOU!

(…and thank you to the staff who submitted photos for today’s Daily Informed Newsletter)

As part of our commitment to keeping staff engaged and informed on the 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 April 24th Operational Updates and Strategic Planning Meeting featured an update on our Hospital’s Values Based Recruitment and Leadership Development and was presented by Amy Carr, Director, Human Resources and Trisha Gibson, Manager, Employee Engagement.

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 the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA)

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wearfigs.com/tbh

Looking to make your homeownership dreams a reality? Or maybe you’ve been looking to sell and buy new? In this year’s Fort William Rotary House Lottery, it is giving participants the chance to WIN the grand prize – a meticulously designed home with over 2,500 square feet of total living space valued at $750,000.

The Fort William Rotary House Lottery is an incredibly popular house lottery that includes ten early bird cash draws for a total of $50,000 to be won! With thousands of people purchasing tickets each year, the Rotary then distributes the proceeds from the lottery to various community organizations.

“The Fort William Rotary House Lottery is our club’s biggest endeavor and we are extremely proud to have supported our community for the past thirty-seven years through the ticket sales,” says Irene Sottile, Fort William Rotary President. “It’s a huge project for our small club and we are thankful for the support that we have from our community over the years. This year’s house, built by Triad Contracting, will help us to continue our tradition of supporting local charities in our community.”

Only 20,000 tickets are available and they’re already 50% sold out!
Tickets for this year’s lottery are available for sale online at fwrotaryhouselottery.ca, at the Rotary House open houses and NEW this year – at the Thunder Bay 50/50 store inside Intercity Shopping Centre. The Fort William Rotary appreciates the support of the Health Sciences Foundation in promoting their 38^th house lottery.

You won’t want to miss your chance at this beautifully designed Triad Contracting home, located at 101 Bruin Crescent in the Parkdale subdivision. It includes four bedrooms (2 up, 2 down), three four-piece bathrooms, finished basement, outdoor deck, attached garage and large bright kitchen, ready to host all your family and friends.

For full information on the home features and the House Lottery visit www.fwrotaryhouselottery.ca. Lottery Licence # RAF1368906

April is Autism Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and promote inclusion for those with Autism. Being autistic means that your brain may process information differently than non-autistic or neurotypical people. Autism affects the way that a person communicates and/or socializes. Individuals often have a variety of mental and physical healthcare needs.

It is important to remember that autism is not a one-size-fits-all condition, and the type and intensity of characteristics can vary among individuals. The healthcare journey is a collaborative effort between the individual with autism, their family and their interprofessional team of healthcare providers, which may include nurses, occupational therapists, pediatricians, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers and speech-language pathologists. The focus for the interprofessional team often includes empowering individuals with autism to exercise their rights and communicate their needs, and providing necessary supports for autistic patients including increasing their comfort, decreasing their stress and anxiety, and ensuring their safety.

We must all work together to remove any potential stigma and discrimination around autism. In order to ensure barriers to care are removed, it is essential to ensure that all patients and their caregivers receive compassionate, respectful, and empathetic care.

Promoting the full participation of all people with autism advances inclusion within the community. This month, in honour of Autism Awareness Month, take a moment to acknowledge, celebrate, and learn more about your colleagues and patients with autism, including the many strengths that neurodivergence can contribute to our organization and community.

You can learn more about Autism by visiting the Autism Ontario website.