Lakehead University’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives invites you to join the presentation for Research and Innovation Week entitled Trapping as Methodology: The Impacts of Climate Change and Development on the Land.
The presentation takes place on Thursday, February 29, 2024 from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.
To register for this event, please click here.
Weston Igo’s* heart skipped a beat this morning with the amazing news he is now a millionaire as February’s Thunder Bay 50/50 grand prize winner! Weston just banked $1,247,688 tax free!
Weston’s first words were “Winner! Gagnant!” in reaction to the news. He has been buying tickets from the very start of the Thunder Bay 50/50 draw to support the Hospital. “The 50/50 is a great way to raise funds for all of the Hospital’s programs and for helping the rest of the region,” he said.
To date, over $35 Million in prizes has been awarded to winners from across Ontario and, in turn, millions of dollars has been raised to Do More Faster for better healthcare at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
“The Hospital’s new state-of-the-art Cardiac Cath Lab is now open and operational, paid for entirely by 50/50 supporters and donations to the Foundation,” says Torin Gunnell, Manager, Lotteries for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. “This kind of success doesn’t mean our work is done. Success means we’re Doing More for patients of Northwestern Ontario.”
(* pronounced eye’ go)
March Draw Now Open – Many Pot O’ Golds to be Won
Bonus numbers are back in March’s draw along with $50,000 in Early Bird draws, including an multiple-winner blitz! The grand prize jackpot happens Friday, March 29, 2024. Tickets are now available online at www.thunderbay5050.ca or in-person at the 50/50 Store in Intercity Shopping Centre.
Ticket packages are as follows:
** Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 28, 2024 to be eligible for the Grand Prize draw on Friday, March 29, at 11:00 a.m.
Questions about the draw can be sent to info@thunderbay5050.ca. Ticket purchasers must be present in Ontario to purchase and 18 years old or older. The Thunder Bay 50/50 continues each month with the Grand Prize drawn on the last Friday of the month. (2024 Lottery licence RAF1352142)
On February 22, 2004, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) opened, combining the services of McKellar and Port Arthur General Hospitals and Cancer Care services. McKellar and Port Arthur General Hospitals had merged in 1995 to become the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital, providing acute care for Northwestern Ontario.
Although the province originally planned to refurbish one of the sites, the community decided to build a new, modern facility. The opening of a state-of-the-art healthcare facility promised a bold new era for healthcare in Northwestern Ontario.
Since opening in 2004, TBRHSC has expanded in its size, as well as its programs and services. The successes of the past 20 years and those that are certain to come, could not have been achieved alone. For the role that our staff, donors to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, community members and partners in health had in building excellent healthcare in Northwestern Ontario, we thank you.
Keep an eye on the Daily INformed Newsletter and the Hospital’s socials throughout the year as we’ll share some of the most significant milestones and memories from the past 20 years.
📸: To mark the official 20th anniversary of our Hospital’s opening, staff were treated to cake and coffee in the cafeteria yesterday as a small way of celebrating this milestone. Thank you to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation for sponsoring this celebration for us.
Bernice Redmon wanted to pursue a career as a nurse and was denied admission into Canadian nursing programs in the early 1940s. At this time, Black women could not attend Canadian nursing schools. The admission of Black women would not be allowed until the late 1940s.
In 1945, to obtain her nursing diploma, Redmon moved to the United States. Later that year, she returned to Canada to work. Bernice got a job at the Nova Scotia Department of Health, becoming the first Black nurse to practice in public health. Her ground-breaking career earned Redmon a historic appointment to the Victorian Order of Nurses in Canada, making her the first Black woman to receive this honour.
Her barrier-breaking career and courageous efforts paved the way for Black women to be trained and employed in Ontario hospitals in the late 1940s and 1950s.
For more information, see here: https://www.bernicecarnegie.com/carnegie-family
At Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), the Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC) philosophy guides everything that we do, with the goal of delivering exceptional care for every patient every time.
The PFCC department is continuously evaluating strategies to improve continuity of care and transitions for patients leaving the hospital setting. These strategies include the use of patient-oriented discharge summaries (PODS) and patient-oriented education tools (POETs) which provide patients with pertinent discharge instructions and address barriers to patient education such as health literacy and environmental factors. Additionally, the Post-Discharge Liaison (PDL) role was created to manage follow-up care for patients transitioning out of the hospital setting. PDLs are trained nurses who contact patients by phone within 72 hours of discharge. Lastly, patient feedback regarding the discharge process is also monitored through patient experience surveys, which are delivered to patients via email or SMS. Feedback is then provided to unit managers to implement changes in their Quality Improvement plans.
On February 9, 2024, PFCC’s Joanita Nakimuli (Discharge Transition Lead) and Hafsa Siddiqui (Data Specialist) had the pleasure of presenting the impact of these strategies at the SJCG Centre for Applied Health Research Showcase. Preliminary findings show that, although the use of PODS has traditionally been relied on for communicating post-discharge instructions, PDL phone calls are essential for filling gaps in patient understanding and adherence to the post-discharge care plan. For example, between August – December of 2023, 98-99.8% of patients who received PODS /POETs required interventions from PDLs. Of these, education and medication follow-up accounted for the largest proportion of interventions.
Together, PODS/POETs and PDL phone calls show promise in improving continuity of care and transitions for patients visiting TBRHSC and may lead to fewer adverse events in the post-discharge setting.
Did you miss the Virtual All Staff Town Hall on February 21? A recording is now available for viewing here.
The informative session featured a patient story told by Peter Myllymaa (VP, Operations, Clinical and Support Services, and Chief Financial Officer), a respiratory illness season update by John Ross (Director of Patient Flow and Partnerships), an overview of the Q3 results for Strategic Plan 2026 by Jessica Logozzo (VP, Strategy and Regional Transformation), an update on Employee Recognition Week and the 2023 Employee Engagement Survey results by Jeannine Verdenik (VP, People & Culture), and an update on the UKG Pro Workforce Management launch by Dino Armenti (Director, Financial Services and Co-Project Sponsor, UKG Implementation Core Team).
If you have questions you would like answered, please send them to TBRHSC.GroupNews@tbh.net and we will do our best to address them at a future Virtual All Staff Town Hall.
If you’d like to access a recording or presentation from a previous Virtual All Staff Town Hall, visit the archive.
Thank you for your commitment to staying informed and engaged.
Sarcoidosis, Sjogren’s Disease and Lymphoma! Is there any correlation?
Presented by: Dr. Azadeh Mofid & Dr. Stephanie Craig
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 Webex Invite 1630 – 1730 (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.)
“The Department of Internal Medicine Monthly Rounds is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.”
Objectives: Participants will be able to: 1) understand the pathophysiology of sarcoidosis and the underlying mechanisms that contribute to its development, 2) identify clinical manifestations of sarcoidosis with a focus on its impact on the lungs, heart and nervous system, highlighting how organ involvement can vary among patients, 3) understand and apply current treatment strategies for sarcoidosis, and the role of interdisciplinary care in optimizing patient outcomes, 4) recognize overlap and distictions between Sarcoidosis, Sjogren’s Syndrome and Lymphoma.
Meeting link: https://thunderbayhospitals.webex.com/thunderbayhospitals/j.php?MTID=m8c75d797989537e015195fa5cae2c917
Meeting number: 2349 292 9992
Password: Meeting
February is National Therapeutic Recreation Month! This is a time to celebrate the healthcare professionals that use research and therapeutic processes to assist patients in achieving their goals and highest quality of life.
At our hospital, we have two Therapeutic Recreationists in the Forensic Mental Health Program, David Pyle and Mark Kozyra.
The role of Therapeutic Recreation in Forensic Mental Health is to support and assist patients to develop and maintain healthy leisure lifestyle skills with the goal of community reintegration. Leisure skills can improve a person’s overall health, functional ability, and quality of life by enhancing their self-esteem, social skills, and independence.
“People who tell themselves they are too busy for recreation may in time struggle with mental wellness. By making small changes in our daily lives we can make a significant impact on our overall wellness,” said David Pyle.
Mark Kozyra added, “Things you can do include improving sleep, increasing movement, developing mindfulness or practicing gratitude.”
Thank you for all the work you do!
To: All TBRHSC Staff, Professionals, Volunteers, and Learners
From: Infection Prevention and Control
Date: February 16, 2024
RE: RSV OUTBREAK, 2A Medical Inpatient Unit- Declared over with business as usual starting tomorrow
Please be advised that the RSV outbreak on 2A Medical Inpatient Unit at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is declared over with normal business resuming first shift tomorrow, Saturday, February 17, 2024. All restrictions will be lifted as of Saturday, February 17, 2024.
Infection Prevention and Control TBRHSC
980 rue Oliver Rd
807-684-6094infection.control@tbh.net