In alignment with the Ontario Surgical Quality Improvement Network (ON-SQIN) and Ontario Health’s “Cut the Carbon” quality improvement initiative, our Perioperative Services department is implementing a green initiative that asks patients coming in for surgery to bring their own bag to put their belongings in. This small step will help reduce the number of plastic bags we provide patients, ultimately reducing our environmental impact.
As such, surgical patients will be asked to bring in a clean, reusable bag to place their belongings in.
It’s a girl! Paisley Autumn was born to parents Richard Dennis and Chantell Rauschning at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre at 9:12 a.m. on January 1st.
The Dennis family welcomed their third child and second daughter weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) presents “Ask an Expert”, a series where team members from our Bariatric Centre of Excellence answer questions they commonly encounter. For more information on our Regional Bariatric Care Centre, please visit bit.ly/TBRHSC-RBCC. This month’s question is answered by Dr. Julie Rinendeau, Psychologist.
Why is bariatric surgery a tool?
Bariatric surgery is one treatment to support people living with obesity manage their health and weight. But success with health and weight management does not come from surgery alone. Surgery is only a tool. The tool alone will not provide you with continued success and improvements in overall health. You and the tool together – that’s where the magic happens. Maintaining healthy lifestyle habits such as healthy eating, incorporating movement into daily life, getting adequate, quality sleep, and managing stress can be expected to substantially affect the success of living with bariatric surgery.
The Your Health Space e-Learning Series is a hybrid learning experience tailored to the needs and experiences of health care staff, providing access to three self-directed courses and weekly live skill-building sessions focused on boosting mental health literacy and teaching strategies to manage and mitigate the effects of stress in the health care workplace.
Province providing funding to support Alternative Level of Care and Patient Flow initiatives
To support Ontario’s innovative models of care, MPP Kevin Holland announced $1,284,600 in funding through the Alternative Levels of Care (ALC) and Patient Flow initiatives. Funding will be provided to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
“This funding from the Ministry of Health is imperative to help support Ontario’s new innovative models of care”, said Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan. “The funding will be used by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to assist with a program to divert patients by leveraging current Community Support Services. This will enable people to stay at home instead of being hospitalized and help remove some of the pressures on our hospitals and emergency rooms.”
“This funding will allow us to be more responsive to the core needs of our patients, and provide more enhanced and patient specific support throughout their hospital stay.” Said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President & CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “The support will have a positive impact on the quality and experience of care for patients and families, while also improving the experience for staff and physicians who are involved in the care needs of patients.”
This funding is part of the Ontario government’s $131 million investment to reduce ALC cases across the province and support patient flow from hospitals to more appropriate settings, ensuring patients and their families can connect to the care they need, closer to home.
Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President & CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute and Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan.
The Office of the Auditor General of Ontario has released their 2023 Annual Report. The Annual Report, required by the Auditor General Act, includes value-for-money audits of Ontario public-sector and broader-public-sector programs, and our observations on the attest audits of the Public Accounts. It also includes reports and reviews required under other legislation or undertaken at the Auditor General’s discretion.
Congratulations and great work to all of the nurses and new hires who participated this year!
The fourth annual Nursing Skills Days was held by the Clinical Nurse Specialist group at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre during the months of September, October and November.
Nursing Skills Days are education days provided to new graduate nurses and new hires to our Hospital from the medical/surgical and Emergency departments. The nurses and new hires participated in various simulations and education sessions to review pertinent nursing skills that enhance their knowledge, skills and judgment as new nurses and new employees to the organization. To cap things off, an Escape Room activity was held where participants had to critically think their way out of. The team with the fastest escape time of 17 minutes was team “We’re the One!”.
Given this is a busy time of year, I wanted to send along a quick touch base that speaks to one topic – generosity.
Generosity seems to be all around us in some form or another and you can’t go far in this organization without witnessing it somewhere on a daily basis. The effortless generosity of our staff and professional staff, volunteers and learners comes in all forms, whether it be through fundraising efforts, an extra smile as we help a family member find a patient, or the genuine care provided through a challenging day.
Throughout the month of December many units and departments have given generously to a cause – a family in need, the Renal Services Food Bank and the Patient Clothing Cupboard to name a few. The spirit of your generosity is astounding to see and I am not at all surprised with how we continue to support the needs of the community and our patients.
As you know, we are an Academic Health Sciences Centre and Health Research Institute; without our learners we would not have the opportunity to improve. We are a centre for researchers, students, teachers and other healthcare professionals to learn. Without the generosity of our staff and professional staff, this would not be possible and we benefit from each other. Thank you for the countless hours that are added to your day as you support spreading your knowledge.
It truly is inspiring to see you all in action each day, performing your duties with professionalism, compassion, and generosity of course. And it’s not just my observation. Time after time I have been provided feedback from patients that have specific details on how their care experience was above expectations due to the extra efforts of staff interactions. These exchanges of communication beyond the typical care we provide represent another form of generosity. Through the spirit of kindness, we make the time in our busy schedule to ensure interactions with patients and families are focused – an indication that we are getting closer to our vision of exceptional care for every patient, every time.
As the year comes to an end, I hope you have the opportunity to reflect on the generosity you have provided throughout your work and know it is appreciated.
Please take the time to find holiday cheer with your friends, family and co-workers over this festive season. I wish you all the best and let’s make 2024 a great year.
Once again, please know that I do appreciate you reading this Blog. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with comments or for any other matter. You can reach me at: rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net.
