Shared on behalf Nicole Moffett, Manager, Emergency Preparedness, Switchboard and Security
As you may be aware, there was a malfunction with our overhead paging system that occurred on the afternoon of Friday, December 1st. The malfunction resulted in some communications broadcasted over the system. Although we cannot identify the source at this time, we sincerely apologize for the interruption.
We are continuing to work with IT, Facilities and the third party vendor to determine the root cause of the error so that we can avoid a similar situation in the future. We have since rectified the issue.
Many concerned staff members attempted to notify Switchboard of the malfunction. We truly appreciate the team approach in navigating the issue. As a reminder, please only use the ‘55’ phone number when activating an emergency response. It is important to leave the ‘55’ line available for emergencies only.
Thank you for understanding. If you have any questions or further concerns, please contact me at Nicole.Moffett@tbh.net or ext. 6185.
Throughout the month of December, drive by 753 Syndicate Ave., tune your radio to 92.3FM, and be prepared for a light show featuring four singing light bulbs!
James Hill has been bringing smiles and Christmas cheer with his light show for eight years. This year he’s asking passers by to donate to the Our Hearts at Home Cardiovascular Campaign, to help bring full cardiovascular surgery to Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario. Drive up and watch a song or two or stay for the full 30-minute line up – all from the comfort of your vehicle.
Monday to Thursday 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Friday to Sunday 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Congratulations to the latest prize winner for the Employee & Professional Staff Engagement Survey! Kristi Taylor was randomly chosen as the draw prize winner and is going home with a gift card for completing their survey.
Want the chance to win a prize too? Don’t forget to complete your confidential Employee & Professional Staff Engagement Survey by Sunday, December 3. We have reached 47% participation rate, that much closer to our goal of 75%! Thank you to everyone who has participated thus far.
THUNDER BAY — A student who lives in Thunder Bay and studies at NOSM University was surprised just to be nominated for the award, but now she’s the Ontario College of Family Physicians’ 2023 medical student of the year.
In making the announcement, the college said Nusha Ramsoondar exemplifies the vital role that family doctors play across Ontario.
The award goes to a student who’s seen to be an emerging leader and advocate for family medicine, and who has made contributions to family medicine and/or primary care in areas such as patient care, peer support, advocacy, community service, research and education.
Now in her fourth year at NOSM University, Ramsoondar aspires to be be a rural family physician, after developing a passion for it while on placement in northern communities such as Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Timmins.
“It’s a little bit of everything, you know. You feel a little bit like a jack-of-all-trades, and I like that a lot. Family medicine, especially rural family medicine, lets me do a range of services and keep up a range of skills for patients when there’s a little bit less access to specialists,” she told TBnewswatch in an interview.
Ramsoondar said she also a deep interest in helping vulnerable and marginalized populations.
“I was lucky to be involved in some research since the first year at NOSM on improving social accountability in medicine … and I’m still working on it today. Hopefully I get to continue doing that work in residency.”
She said the research focuses on creating frameworks and evidence briefs on why all the factors related to social accountability are important, how they improve health outcomes for patients, and “why it’s important to actually take the time, consider making changes to your practice, and improving the standard of care that we can provide to patients.”
Ramsoondar was nominated by a fellow student who described her as “an incredibly motivated and creative medical learner” looking to help people through the lens of equity, diversion and inclusion.
“She has already been involved in leadership and educational roles that showcase the important role physicians play in providing patient-centred care, peer support, community advocacy and research,” her nominee wrote.
She has served as the inaugural vice-president of equity and inclusion for the NOSM student council, and is currently part of the SAFE for Health Institutions’ research team where she has focused on creating new opportunities for marginalized learners while exploring equity-oriented social accountability.
Ramsoondar is keeping her options open in terms of where she’d like to begin her practice, but said it will be “somewhere in Northern Ontario, maybe somewhere a little bit smaller, just because I do like smaller towns.”
To start with at least, she hopes to serve as a locum doctor, which will allow her to travel and treat patients in various communities across the North.
Nusha Ramsoondar, a student at NOSM University in Thunder Bay, is the Ontario College of Family Physicians’ medical student of the year
Join us on December 10 at Goods & Co for our Dream Land on the Bay special event.
Organized by Olivia Moore and Krystianne Cabanayan, this event aims to make dreams come true for the children in our community. From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., you can book slots for photographs with Disney Princesses.
Dream Land on the Bay is more than just an event; it’s a celebration of hope, compassion, and the spirit of giving. Our goal is to create a magical experience for children during the holidays, providing them with moments of joy and inspiration.
By attending this event, you will directly contribute to enhancing the services and resources available at the TBRHSC Paediatric Department and the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to support a great cause and make a difference in the lives of children in our community. Book your photo time slots through the link below and see you on December 10!
Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control
Please be advised that the COVID-19 outbreak has been declared over at Transitional Care Unit as of December 1, 2023. All restrictions have been lifted.
Please share this information with the appropriate staff.
For more information, contact Infection Prevention and Control at 807-684-6094.
Parenting, like life in general, is a balancing act. As a parent, you may wonder if you are nurturing enough or not enough, if you are too strict or too lax, too giving or too withholding.
Finding the healthy balance in your parenting style is not an easy task, however setting limits and having expectations of your child shows them that you care. You are nurturing their emotional health, providing them with the opportunity to manage their behavior and emotions from an early age and thereby preparing them for adulthood.
For more resources on healthy living or to learn more about TBRHSC’s Paediatric Healthy Living Program, please visit our website at bit.ly/Paediatric-Healthy-Living-Program.
As we head into the holiday season and approach the end of the calendar year, I know this is a very busy time for all of you, so I wanted to touch base with a quick update.
I would like to begin by thanking everyone who completed the 2023 Employee and Professional Staff Engagement Survey. Please note that we have extended the survey until December 3rd and we would truly appreciate your participation. The insight gained from your feedback will allow us to build on the successes and identify areas where improvement can enhance the work culture. We hope your participation in the survey gave you an opportunity to reflect and consider what motivates you about work and the connection you have to your role and the organization. We want to make progress when it comes to helping you feel appreciated and purposeful in your work.
We also know patient experience is interwoven with staff experience — and both lead directly to our vision of exceptional care for every patient, every time. At our Town Hall this month we heard a story about a patient that was well supported throughout their journey within our Hospital. Upon hearing the story, I couldn’t help but reflect on the importance of positive staff experience and teamwork. The patient experience is the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization’s culture where patient perceptions are influenced along the continuum of care. Providing optimal care is rewarding and is better accomplished if we all have a common goal as was evident in this story. The teams worked effortlessly to ensure the patient was taken care of and felt rewarded in their efforts; the outcome was a better patient experience. This is just one example of the great work you are all doing.
A huge congratulations to our Northwestern Ontario Regional Stroke Network (NWORSN) team who was awarded the 2023 RBC Innovation Hero of the Year award earlier this month for the development of the NWO Navigate Application. The interactive app assists health care providers when dealing with time-sensitive conditions when needing to navigate the most appropriate options for stroke care in Northwestern Ontario. The award was accepted by Trina Diner, Manager, NWORSN, Neurology, Cardiac Diagnostics and Cardiac Rehabilitation on behalf of the organizations and people involved in this supportive creation. We are proud of the team and their innovative and collaborative work to support patients in getting essential and timely access to treatment for suspected strokes.
This week we gave back for Giving Tuesday, led locally by our Health Sciences Foundation. This international day is a time to reflect and a chance to give back to patient care beyond our work. I certainly was not surprised by the number of people within our Hospital and Health Research Institute that go above and beyond their general call of duty and contribute back in donations. Thank you to all for making that day such a success to ensure patient care is enhanced through these donations.
Finally, as we continue to encounter increased visits to our Emergency Department due to respiratory-related illnesses, please be mindful of your surroundings and the elevated activity within our community. Please also make certain you are following our masking and IPAC measures within our Hospital to minimize the risk. We appreciate your cooperation and supporting these measures with patients and families.
Thanks for taking the time to read this month’s blog and I trust you will get some time over the coming weeks and take in some holiday cheer with your friends, family and co-workers.
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.
