Shared on behalf of Cindy Fedell, Regional Chief Information Officer
We are pleased to announce that Mike Linklater has accepted the position of Data Quality Officer for Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (the Hospital), effective March 13, 2023.
In this role, Mike will provide expert advice and guidance on data quality. He will develop and lead a robust data quality agenda across all aspects of data quality in the Hospital. This will involve, for example, defining how the Hospital will ensure accuracy for patient visit data. This role reports directly to the Regional Chief Information Officer.
Mike has been working at the Hospital since 2011 in Information Technology as a Network Analyst, having previously worked in the private technology support sector and as a teacher. Mike has obtained undergraduate degrees in education, history and also advanced education in leadership.
Starting March 13, 2023, Mike can be contacted at 684-6554, Mike.Linklater@tbh.net or at the Data Quality Officer email TBRHSC.DataQuality@tbh.net.
Please join me in welcoming Mike into his new role.
Shared on behalf of Ryan Sears, Director, Capital & Facilities Services
Please be advised that Darin Pretto will be providing interim coverage as Acting Manager of Capital & Program Development, effective February 21, 2023.
Darin is well-known to the Hospital, having worked as the Facilities Planning Assistant in Maintenance since 2017. Darin is a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Technologist program from Sheridan College, a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering program from Lakehead University and a designated Engineer-In-Training (EIT).
Darin has been instrumental in the planning and implementation of various Hospital projects such as LED lighting retrofits, COVID-19 HVAC upgrades, Nurse Call upgrades, Lab Biosafety Hood replacements, MDR equipment replacements, building automation system upgrades and energy efficiency studies and upgrades. He has also assisted in Hospital capital projects such as PET-CT implementation, Dishwasher replacement and MRI and X-Ray replacements.
Darin has been instrumental in implementing new technologies, software and work practices to improve workflow, maintenance and reliability of Hospital and ICR infrastructure. Please join me in welcoming Darin as Acting Manager.
The position of Manager of Capital & Program Development will be posted shortly and an announcement will be made once the position has been permanently filled.
February is Psychology Month. Psychology is rooted in science that seeks to understand our thoughts, feelings and actions. It is a broad field – some psychology professionals develop and test theories through research while others work to help individuals, organizations, and communities function better. Still others are both researchers and practitioners.
Psychology Month is celebrated every February to highlight the contributions of Canadian psychologists and to show Canadians how psychology works to help people live healthy and happy lives, help their communities flourish, help their employers create better workplaces, and help their governments develop effective policies. Please join us in thanking the Psychologists and Psychological Associates who work at our Hospital and serve our community.
Cardiology Technologist Day is celebrated annually on February 14th to highlight the important role of the profession in the diagnosis and treatment of heart arrhythmias and heart disease.
Registered Cardiology Technologists (RCT) are a specialized group of educated health care professionals who work with Cardiologists and Internal Medicine specialists. They perform a variety of non-invasive cardiac diagnostic tests such as Electrocardiograms, Exercise Stress Testing, Holter monitoring, and cardiac device monitoring and programming. We’ve asked Carolyn Leonzio and Jonelle Czerwinski, two RCTs that work here at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, what they love about their job.
Carolyn Leonzio, RCT, RDCS, DMS, CMRITO
Carolyn is a Registered Cardiology Technologist (RCT) and Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) with 40 years of experience at TBRHSC.
In her role as a RCT, Carolyn is able to perform and interpret electrocardiograms, holter monitor tests, and stress lab tests. In addition to this, she follows up with patients who have permanent pacemakers or implanted cardiac defibrillators, testing and assessing the function of the devices.
In her role as a RDCS also known as an “Echo tech”, she performs echocardiograms, trans-esophageal echocardiograms, stress echocardiograms and helps in pericardiocentesis.
Carolyn describes her role as an RCT to be “all things electrophysiology”, and her role as an RDCS to be “all things structural, mechanical and hemodynamics”.
When asked what she loves about her role she said: “I love everything about the heart, I love its complexity and am fascinated with the organ. An echo is a long test so I have lots of time to interact with the patients, I love talking to them about the test and getting to know them while performing the test. I also love the teamwork my role involves. I like to tell my patients ‘I am a heart person, all about the love’”.
Jonelle Czerwinski, RCT, DMS
Jonelle is a Registered Cardiology Technologist (RCT) and Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) at TBRHSC.
In her role as a RCT, Jonelle is able to perform and interpret electrocardiograms, holter monitor tests, and stress lab tests. In addition to this, she follows up with patients who have permanent pacemakers or implanted cardiac defibrillators, testing and assessing the function of the devices.
In her role as a RDCS also known as an “Echo tech”, she performs echocardiograms, trans-esophageal echocardiograms, stress echocardiograms and helps in pericardiocentesis. Performing echocardiograms is an art and a science, capturing views of the heart with ultrasound can really depend on the skill of the sonographer.
When asked what she loves about her role she said: “I love the patient interaction, every heart is different and I have learned to expect the unexpected. Our patients have a wide range of acuity and it is fulfilling to be the so called “eyes and ears of the cardiologist”. I really enjoy the professional rapport we have with other medical professionals, we truly work in a highly effective interprofessional team.”
Through a collaborative process, Centre for Complex Diabetes Care (CCDC) Dietitians and Nutrition and Food Services at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre made adjustments to the No Added Sugar diet. The updated diet now delivers a consistent amount of carbohydrate at each meal.
Foods that contain carbohydrates are foods that can raise blood glucose values for those who are living with diabetes. Examples of carbohydrate containing foods are milk, fruit and starches (rice, pasta, bread, corn and potatoes). A consistent carbohydrate diet can be one tool that can help to support more stable blood glucose values and is the established standard for hospitalized patients with diabetes.
When a patient is ordered a Full, No Added Sugar diet each meal will deliver approximately 60 grams of available carbohydrate. Note, this may vary if the patient has additional preferences, modified texture or allergies.
If you have any questions about these changes contact CCDC at extension 6944 or Nutrition and Food Services at extension 6725.
Shared on behalf of Chitra Jacob, Manager of Quality and Risk Management
I am pleased to announce that Saravana Priyan Gatamaneni Loganathan has been appointed to the position of Quality Improvement Lead with the Quality and Risk Management portfolio. Saravana will commence his position on February 13, 2023.
As a background, Saravana is an assistant dental surgeon trained in India. He led accreditation as well as quality improvement work as part of his administrative role. He holds an MBA in Health Services Management from Anna University, India and recently completed the Post Graduate Certificate Program in Health Administration and Leadership from Confederation College. He holds an Advanced Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt and joins us from St Joseph’s Care Group, Thunder Bay.
In his role, Saravana will provide support to the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Hospital’s Quality Program, in addition to related QI activities such as education for programs and departments aligned with TBRHSC’s strategy and priorities, legislation, professional standards and best practices.
Please join me in congratulating and extending a warm welcome to Saravana in his new role!
