Established in 1957, The Canada Gairdner Awards recognize international excellence in fundamental research impacting human health. This year’s eight laureates, announced on March 30, have helped to advance our understanding of some of the world’s most pressing biomedical and global health issues. Through their relentless pursuit of scientific knowledge and commitment to excellence, these laureates have improved the lives of countless individuals around the world. The Canada Gairdner Awards serve as a reminder of the immense impact that research can have on human health. Here’s how this year’s laureates have made an impact.
Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control
Please be advised that as of March 31, 2023 a gastrointestinal outbreak has been declared at Transitional Care Unit-Cedar Unit.
Immediately place all patients, symptomatic and asymptomatic from this outbreak area on Contact (green) Precautions; or Contact (orange) Precautions if experiencing diarrhea
Asymptomatic patients will require Contact Precautions for 48 hours after admission
Discontinue Contact Precautions only under consultation with Infection Prevention and Control
Patient safety is a priority and it is our responsibility to eliminate hospital acquired transmission. Please set an example for staff and students and assist us by maintaining compliance and due diligence.
For more information, contact Infection Prevention and Control at 684-6094.
Our Departmental Features are being run monthly. This initiative aligns with our Hospital’s strategic priority of Staff Experience, by recognizing and celebrating the work that our staff are doing every day. This month we are looking at the Pharmacy Department! You can see past Departmental Features on the intranet.
The Pharmacy Department includes three pharmacy operations at TBRHSC:
Main Pharmacy – located on the first floor across from 1A. Main Pharmacy provides medications and clinical pharmacy services for all inpatients and most outpatient programs. Pharmacy technicians prepare and dispense every medication in the hospital with the goal to provide as many medications as possible in a ready to use format for administration to patients. Pharmacists provide expertise in medication management and patient care. You can find your pharmacy team on nursing units working alongside the care team.
Cancer Centre Pharmacy – located on 3rd floor inside the Cancer Centre. Cancer Centre Pharmacy prepares all chemotherapy for both the Cancer Centre and inpatients. Pharmacy Technicians are certified to prepare these medications safely and utilize specialized equipment to keep themselves, nursing and patients safe. Pharmacists ensure the patients are receiving the most appropriate therapies to treat their cancer safely.
Specialty Pharmacy – located on 3rd floor inside the Cancer Centre. The Specialty Pharmacy is a retail pharmacy that provides oral chemotherapy and supportive medications to patients in Thunder Bay and the region. The pharmacy technicians and pharmacists work with the prescribers, patients and families to ensure safe and effective chemotherapy can be taken at home. The pharmacists are available to answer medication questions and help patients and families prevent and manage side effects of their chemotherapy.
Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacists are regulated health care professionals and are registered with the Ontario College of Pharmacists. Pharmacy Technicians must complete a Pharmacy Technician diploma program (two year college program) and successfully pass national examinations. Pharmacists must complete a Doctor of Pharmacy (four year university program) and successfully pass national examinations.
Pharmacy played a key role during COVID:
A pharmacist led the COVID-19 vaccination program for our Hospital
Pharmacy technicians prepared COVID-19 vaccines
The Pharmacy team ensured our hospital had access to safe COVID-19 vaccines as well as other COVID-19 treatments
The pharmacy team ensured we had sufficient critical medications to treat COVID-19 patients who needed ICU care including medications needed for ventilators
The Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist provided expertise in all COVID-19 medications treatment and provided up to date information to prescribers, nursing and pharmacy
The Antimicrobial stewardship Pharmacist launched our FirstLine App which has the most up to date information on all things related to infections and treatments
Pharmacists ensured (and continue to ensure) proper treatment of COVID-19 for inpatients admitted with COVID-19 as treatment options have evolved during the pandemic
March is Pharmacy Appreciation Month! Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work hard every day to ensure that every patient has the right medications. This month take a moment to thank the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at the TBRHSC for all that they do!
In his work, Dr. Mushquash investigates Indigenous mental health, substance use, trauma, and general mental wellness. He partners with communities, government and academia and uses evidence-based approaches in alignment with First Nations values to ensure his research and its outcomes are culturally — and contextually — appropriate for people in First Nations, rural and northern communities.
“The goals of the research are rooted in the medicine wheel, in the four interconnected directions,” explained Dr. Mushquash. “We want to identify culturally — and contextually — appropriate targets of intervention, develop methods to measure outcomes; develop and test interventions that incorporate culture-based knowledge with scientific methods; and share the knowledge among Indigenous and academic communities, clinicians, and policymakers.”
Established in 1957, the Gairdner Foundation’s annual awards recognize and celebrate researchers from around the world for their excellence in fundamental research that impacts human health. Over the years, 402 awards have been presented to people from more than 40 countries and of those awardees, 96 have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes. Dr. Mushquash is a recipient of the 2023 Canada Gairdner Momentum Award.
“It is truly an honour to receive this award,” said Dr. Mushquash. “The work we are doing, the partnerships being built, will improve mental health systems and services for Indigenous Peoples. We are building a framework to better serve Indigenous communities.”
“Congratulations to Dr. Mushquash for being recognized for his exemplary and ground breaking work,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of TBRHSC and CEO of TBRHRI. “His research and advocacy demonstrates the power of responsive mental health and addiction services. His research is affecting real change for people and making significant and lasting improvements in care and outcomes, while informing best practices across the country.”
“The Gairdner Momentum Award recognizes exceptional early- to mid-career researchers whose research is having significant impact in the health field now and in the future,” said Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Lakehead University’s Vice President, Research and Innovation. “There is no doubt that the research being done by Dr. Mushquash clearly fits this criteria. His work is vital to understanding the effectiveness of treatments for mental health and addictions for people in Northwestern Ontario. In particular, his research will improve the health outcomes and services for Indigenous populations in our region.”
“Dilico Anishinabek Family Care is thrilled to see Dr. Christopher Mushquash receive this honourable award for his dedication and excellence in indigenous and community based research. He is truly an Indigenous mental health and addictions research champion. We are grateful for the commitment Dr. Mushquash has for indigenous led and culturally centered research initiatives; his work is leading the way for improved mental wellness outcomes for Indigenous people.” said Darcia Borg, Executive Director.
Shared on behalf of on behalf of Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President & CEO, TBRHSC and CEO, TBRHRI
Hello, Boozhou, Bonjour.
I would like to begin this month’s blog by acknowledging that March marked three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and blew up your work and personal lives in ways that we still can’t completely understand. And, I would like to vocally acknowledge it because the anniversary came and went with very little societal recognition despite the fact you are still dealing with COVID-19 at work each and every day. So, please allow me to say, yet again, thank you for going that extra mile relentlessly these past three years. Thank you serving the communities we serve with professionalism, compassion and endurance I haven’t ever seen in my 30+ years in health care. And, thank you for supporting each other day in and day out, right up until this very day. You are all an inspiration.
On that note, I continue to hear countless stories from people who have family members in our Hospital or have had to use our Hospital for some reason. The positive feedback on the great care they or their family member has received is reassuring to me that we are working together to provide exceptional care. We are getting better at what we do – please know your work is making a difference.
With that being said, it only makes sense that we welcomed the month of March by celebrating Employee Recognition Week. Spring is a time to refresh and initiate new beginnings for the months ahead. I ask that you take the time to reflect on all the great work you and your teams have been doing to make our Hospital and Health Research Institute a great place to work. Everyone has contributed in some manner and together we are making a difference in our community.
Speaking of refreshing and rebooting, I am feeling optimistic that we are starting to see a break with COVID-19 and look forward to our transition of activities into our operations. COVID-19 has forever changed the way we work in our Hospital and function in society for most. Having somewhat of a reprieve in our response needs has provided us opportunity to shift our protective measures and adjust to what normal will look like moving forward, where we can reduce the likelihood of future impacts, yet shift towards ordinary operations. For now, we will align ourselves to what others are doing in the health sector and continue to monitor and adjust to be well balanced with our measures.
As you may have seen in the news recently, there were stories related to the investments we have been forced to make around the police services we have in our Hospital. Allow me to tell you what I told the media: although I would much rather be investing these resources on our frontline health care, my top priority is ensuring that you have a safe place to do your jobs properly. From the feedback received, this has supported you and our patients, and it is an investment I will approve without apology, as long as the circumstances require us to do it. Unsurprising to most of you, recent data shows that our Emergency Department (ED) is the 10th busiest out of 74 in the province. We know hospitals across the province have seen an increase in violent situations and having measures in place like this, will help prevent situations that can impact our staff and patient care. Having police services present is just one tool for preventing workplace violence. There are many strategies that have been initiated over the past year to reduce incidents which includes adding security guards, staff training, changing staffing models and a public campaign to bring awareness to the need, and that we do not tolerate violence, to name a few. There is work being done to the physical environment and these renovations will also contribute to a safer working environment. All these efforts will continue to be a priority with ongoing evaluation being done to make certain you feel supported and confident that your work area is safe. I will keep you posted in future blogs as to our progress and hopefully this is a short-lived challenge.
Our Staff Advisory Committee met for the first time over the past month to discuss the priorities and opportunities to make our organization better. There is also recognition that this group is far more than just engagement. So much has shifted over the past several years and organizations that are future forward, recognize the need to work with staff to address what we too have identified as features in successful organizations: Healthy Culture, Environment, and Tools to support your role / Supportive Technology. These seem to reflect the focus group feedback received to date, and we will work through these areas to support our best path forward.
Finally, the provincial budget was just tabled last week, and we heard about increased health care spending – however, no specific investment information was given. While there is what appears to be fairly targeted health human resources investments, and overall health investments, I will remain cautiously optimistic as we recognize that we have our unique and rather different challenges in Northwestern Ontario and will expect to see investments that address our health inequities, access to care and wait times issues, and more significant recruitment and retention challenges. We will continue to strongly advocate to the Ministry of Health, Ontario Hospital Association, and Ontario Health regarding our targeted challenges regarding recruitment and retention and continue to advance our requests for support in particular related to our organizational and regional care pressures, together with our structural deficit and equity issues. I will keep you updated as new information is made available.
I invite you to always reach out to me if you have comments on this blog or connect with me for any other matter. If there is something we need to celebrate, then I would like to know. You can reach me at: rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net
Shared on behalf of Dino Armenti, Director, Financial Services and Jeannine Skinner, Manager, Patient Billing
Effective April 1, 2023, the Ministry of Health will no longer reimburse the Hospital for patients with no primary insurance. As a result, patients without primary insurance will be billed for all services received. Services provided only up to March 31, 2023 may still be claimed under the Uninsured Persons program.
As you may recall, the Uninsured Persons program was established by the Ministry of Health as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. All Ontario hospitals have been advised to return to pre-pandemic billing practices for uninsured patients.
Health811 is available as a resource to connect patients with a registered nurse day or night for free, secure and confidential health advice. Patients can be directed to call 811 (TTY: 1- 866-797-0007) or go to ontario.ca/health811.
Effective April 1, 2023, the Ministry of Health is also adjusting the claims submission period for OHIP fee-for-service insured and related services from six months to three months from the date a service is rendered in Ontario.
This means that if the patient does not have a or has not obtained and provided the Hospital with their valid OHIP number and version code within the three-month claim period, the patient will be responsible to pay for all hospital services billed on their account.
It is imperative that you advise all staff of these two changes so we can ensure that patients are informed appropriately and understand the reinstatement of the pre-pandemic billing process.
Children coming into the Emergency Department can experience pain from an illness, injury or from hospital procedures or treatments. One of the techniques that can decrease pain and anxiety for children is distraction. The Child Life team at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has created kits that contain toys and other small items to engage and distract children in the Emergency Department to help them cope with pain and anxiety during their stay. The kits can be used by a nurse or any other staff member that thinks a child requires a little bit of extra TLC to effectively cope. These kits can help with overall hospital experience and positively benefit recovery too.
Kits were provided during the month of March in recognition of Child Life Month. Remember that Child Life Specialists are available Monday to Friday between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm to provide coping support when needed in the Emergency Department. Staff can page Child Life Specialists at 626-8654 (Mandi) and 624-4678 (Brittany) to request support.
(L-R) Briana Prete (ED Nurse), Trixie Burrias (Recreational Therapy Student), Dr. Bradley Jacobson (Chief of Staff), Mandi Merkley (Child Life Specialist) display the coping kits that the Child Life Team provided the Emergency Department for the month of March.
Obesity is a chronic disease that requires lifelong treatment. The Regional Bariatric Care Centre (RBCC) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is one of several Bariatric Centres of Excellence across Ontario that provides treatment for obesity. The RBCC assesses and treats patients living with obesity in Northern Ontario, applying evidence-based strategies, standards and protocols recommended by the Ontario Bariatric Network (OBN) and approved by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Surgical Program The focus of the Surgical Program is the treatment of obesity and weight-related health complications through safe weight loss and management and support with maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. Bariatric surgery is an option for obesity management that can have major impacts on a patient’s weight and other health-related factors. Patients within the program access comprehensive pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-operative (up to 5 years) surgical care led by an interdisciplinary team.
Referral Process Patients must be referred by through the OBN Online Referral System. This centralized system improves the care of patients living with obesity and provides a streamlined approach to accessing surgical care within the province.
COMING FALL OF 2023 – FULL OBN/OCEAN INTEGRATION
Surgical Program Eligibility:
18 years of age and older
BMI greater than or equal to 40
BMI greater than or equal to 35 but less than 40 with at least one of the following co-morbidities (as determined by a patient’s Primary Care Provider): coronary heart disease, type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, diagnosed sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Educating the general public on obesity and available treatment options can empower patients to pursue evidence-informed treatments. To support this, we are seeking your assistance in expanding public awareness of our program. With your help, we are hopeful to continue in our combined efforts to educate the public on obesity, to destigmatize the disease and to advise of bariatric surgery as a treatment option.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to the Regional Bariatric Care Centre at 807-684-6058. You can also visit our website at bit.ly/TBRHSC-RBCC.
TBRHSC’s Regional Bariatric Care Centre team Back row (L-R): Karen Ranta (Nurse Practitioner), Carrie Thompson (Data Clerk), Olivia Zanette (Registered Dietitian), Jacqueline Veneruz (Manager), Sarah Miller (Clinic Lead/ Registered Dietitian), Marianne Hobbs (Clerical), Katelyn Methot (Registered Kinesiologist) Front row (L-R): Rae-Anne Robinson (Social Worker), Alison Donovan ( Registered Dietitian ), Tanya Burgess (Registered Nurse), Ashley Bilokryli (Registered Practical Nurse) Not pictured: Julie Riendeau (Psychologist)
