For any questions on GSC’s Mindbeacon Therapist Guided Program, please reach out to Monique Trudeau, Interim Manager, Employee Engagement at monique.trudeau@tbh.net or extension 6390.

Attention all Indigenous vendors, crafters, and artists

We would like to extend an invitation to you to participate in our market in honor of Truth and Reconciliation Day. This is a great opportunity to showcase your talent and contribute to an important cause. Let’s work together to promote understanding and healing.

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day that coincides with Orange Shirt Day. It recognizes the tragic legacy of residential schools, the missing children, the families left behind and the survivors of these institutions. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. Leading up to September 30, our Hospital’s Indigenous Collaboration, Equity and Inclusion portfolio has organized various events to honour the survivors and recognize the importance of Truth and Reconciliation. By attending these events, staff can show their support and commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

On September 25 and 26, there will be an Indigenous Craft and Food Vendor Market at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

For more information or to book a table, please contact Annette Klement, Indigenous Cultural Safety Educator at (807) 684-6937 or annette.klement@tbh.net.

It’s another incredible milestone reached for Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC)’s urology program.

On June 8, 2023, TBRHSC became the first in Canada to perform holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) using MOSES 2.0, the latest innovation in urological laser technology.

“We are continually growing our urology program to provide our community with leading edge treatments,” says Dr. Hazem Elmansy, urologist at TBRHSC. “With advanced energy delivery to the tissue, this latest MOSES technology will improve the care experience for patients being treated for BPH or kidney stones by reducing surgery time and anesthesia use.”

MOSES 2.0 is a holmium laser system that can be used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and kidney stones. In the case of large prostate procedures, the benefits of MOSES 2.0 are a significant reduction in bleeding, anesthesia use, and length of surgery. For treatment of kidney stones, this technology fragments stones faster and more efficiently. There is also a decreased likelihood of ureteral stone migration complications.

Since acquiring the initial version of the MOSES technology in 2020, more than 400 patients have been treated at TBRHSC with enlarged prostates or kidney stones. Patients are successfully discharged on the same operative day, without a catheter or requiring re-treatment.

“With the expanding clinically proven benefits of MOSES 2.0, the improved efficiency and less anesthesia time also means we will be able to treat more patients waiting for these procedures,” explains Dr. Elmansy. “Our population in Northwestern Ontario deserve the best care, and we are committed to providing it.”

For more information about HoLEP, as well as services and surgeries offered at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, visit www.tbrhsc.net.

Shared on behalf of Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President & CEO, TBRHSC and CEO, TBRHRI

Hello, Boozhou, Bonjour!

I wanted to touch base quickly to bring you up to speed on a busy summer at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre as we head into the fall season. This past month in particular has been a hectic one for our teams. We are seeing an uptick in patients being admitted including higher volumes of ED visits with complicated medical issues.

Across the board, departments including ICU, paediatrics, surgery, medicine, emergency, psychiatry, radiology, pathology — just everyone — has stepped up to maintain services. Fortunately, the significant contributions of the Hospitalist program has as well, resulting in us being able to manage the increased pressures on our organization. You may not be aware, but our Hospitalists take care of a substantial share of inpatients, and often care for the patients with the most complex social needs. Hospitalists are an important part of patient care, and their practices directly contribute to better patient outcomes. We appreciate the work of the Hospitalists and all our care teams in providing safe, patient-centred care and improving flow, so patients get timely care. Congratulations to Dr. Moh Bassuony and his team for their work. We look forward to more great things in the future as the Hospitalist program evolves into a fully-fledged teaching unit as part of our Academic Hospital Model. 

So, with that overview, know that working with our care teams, we have managed to achieve a dramatic reduction in patients’ length of stay. This has significantly contributed to our ability to create capacity within our Hospital and support hospital-wide patient flow strategies, despite the enormous pressures on the organization. Through the expertise of so many talented staff/professional staff, we are able to support the safest transitions in care within our Hospital, and to and from the communities. 

On August 14th, we were pleased to have the Honourable Minister Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions for Ontario in the city. The visit provided an opportunity for a roundtable with many health care providers to discuss the crisis and gain perspectives on addressing the issues. We know there is an urgent and immediate need for safe sobering and withdrawal management services within our community.

As well, we communicated a need to have the appropriate environments and staffing models to provide coordinated care that is accessible to anyone needing it. We appreciate the work being done with many of our partners and we are hopeful that there will be further services in our area. 

As part of the Staff Advisory Committee suggestions, this month we had food trucks on site to supplement the food options for when the cafeteria is not available for hot meals. We thought we would try this out and we hope this alternative reflected well on staff experience. As a reminder, your Staff Advisory Committee is available to support and develop the culture of our Hospital and Health Research Institute community. The group is available to ensure the broader voice is heard and staff and patient experience continues to thrive. Representatives can be found here.

Finally, as summer begins to wind down and you enter the busy month of September with family activities and such, I truly hope you were able to take some time for yourself this summer to recharge your batteries physically and mentally. Even though the pandemic has been declared over, the fact is that the past three years have been a grind for all of you and we are still extremely busy here at the Hospital. It is imperative that you keep tabs on your health and well-being moving forward. If you are struggling, please consider tapping into the resources available to support you.

I hope you find these blogs of value and 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.

Shared on behalf of Help Desk

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Recently, we have become aware of a fake email regarding the set up of multi-factor authentication for your TBH.net account. The fake email has the subject “Tbh Setup Dual-Factor security authentication.”

While we do have multi-factor authentication for our accounts, the legitimate email’s subject is “Duo Security Enrollment” and it is received from no-reply@duosecurity.com.

Please keep in mind the following security best practices to avoid infection:

• Do not open E-mail attachments from unknown senders.
• Do not click on links in E-mails from unknown senders.
• On the internet, avoid any sites not directly related to your work.

The most important rule is: think before you click.

If you have any doubt about an E-mail or Internet site, or you suspect that your device has been compromised, please contact us at help@tbh.net.

Coming to the Emergency Department (ED) can be a stressful experience. At Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), we have a team of physicians, nurses, physician assistants, Indigenous Patient Navigators, medical learners, social workers, clerks and support workers dedicated to providing you and your family with safe, quality care while in our Hospital. In this series of videos, we want to introduce you to some team members you may encounter when you come into our ED.

Meet Kylar, a Security Guard, and find out why he chooses to work in the ED at TBRHSC.

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Jerry Pilon from Manitouwadge was the lucky winner of the August “Dog Days of Summer” Thunder Bay 50/50 grand prize draw, winning a whopping $836,560!

Jerry was driving from Thunder Bay to Manitouwadge when he got the call about his win and jokingly considered turning back from Marathon after this great news. “My very first priority will be to pay off all my debt and set up for my retirement, which will be a lot sooner now,” he says.

To date, over $25 Million in prizes has been awarded to winners from across Ontario. In turn, millions of dollars of vital equipment has been purchased for the Hospital, including like a new Xray C-arm for the best image quality and lowest radiation dose for patients during surgeries.

“A huge thank you to all who sent in photos of their dogs (and cats) for our fun Dog Days August draw. Overall, we received about 1,400 photos,” says Glenn Craig, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. “We are truly grateful for our 50/50 supporters because their support is helping us to Do More Faster for better local healthcare, now.”

September Draw Now Open

September’s draw will feature $30,000 in Early Bird draws with the biggest one for $10,000 to be drawn on September 1st!

The September grand prize jackpot will be drawn Friday, September 29, 2023. Tickets* are now available online at www.thunderbay5050.ca and in-person at the Northwest Store in the Intercity Shopping Centre. Ticket packages are as follows: $10 for 5 numbers

• $20 for 30 numbers
• $50 for 150 numbers
• $75 for 300 numbers

* Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 28, 2023 to be eligible for the Grand Prize draw on Friday, September 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. (2023 Lottery Licence RAF1285982)