Occupational Health and Safety recently launched the new wellness room. This is a room designed for staff to relax and unwind. Visit the Wellness Room today, located on the first floor (Room 1007).
Check out the OH&S page on the Intranet for more information.
.png)
It is with great appreciation for Dr. John O’Brien that we announce his retirement. He is retiring after a distinguished career as a Radiologist and General Physician.
Dr. John O’Brien is a board-certified Radiologist with over three decades of specialized experience in diagnostic imaging. He provided expert radiological services across a range of medical facilities, supported various clinical departments with high-quality diagnostic interpretation. Dr. O’Brien earned his Medical Degree from the University of Ottawa in 1982 and has been a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) in Radiology since 1990. He began his Radiology career at the McKellar Hospital in 1990 and transitioned to TBRHSC when it opened. Prior to his transition to Radiology, Dr. O’Brien was a General Practitioner at McKellar Hospital.
His commitment to clinical excellence, with a focus on diagnostic accuracy, patient safety, and timely reporting will be missed as he embarks on a new chapter.
Dr. O’Brien has always been a fierce patient advocate, and a champion of Diagnostic Imaging. His wealth of knowledge and willingness to mentor the future diagnostic imaging professionals made him a great educator and an inspiration to those he worked with.
His colleagues and coworkers will miss his cheerful disposition in the Department.
A celebration of his accomplishments will take place on June 20, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the DI conference room.
Lakehead University is currently recruiting for a community member to serve on their Research Ethics Board.
More information about the opportunity can be found by following the link on the included poster or by contacting research.ethics@lakeheadu.ca. The deadline to apply for the position is July 15, 2025.
Congratulations to Monique Trudeau, our Early Bird Prize Winner. Monique completed the HSO Global Workforce Survey and won 6 months of free parking.
Didn’t win this time? No problem—you still have more chances to win!
A reminder that the survey closes July 18, 2025 or until a minimum response rate of 50% is achieved.To be eligible for prizes, you must fill out both the HSO survey and the separate prize entry form. Be sure to scan the prize QR code on the poster below to get your name in the draw. Once you’re entered, you’ll stay in the running for weekly prizes too—so one quick scan could lead to multiple chances to win.
Please join us in celebrating the retirement of Teresa Clemenza, who has been a valued member of the Housekeeping Department since 2011.
Teresa finished her career working in the OR Department, where her dedication, friendly nature, and constant smile made a lasting impact on everyone around her. Always willing to lend a hand – no matter the task – Teresa exemplified teamwork and compassion every day. Her helpful spirit and caring presence will be greatly missed.
We thank Teresa for her years of hard work and commitment, and we wish her all the very best in this exciting new chapter of life. Congratulations, Teresa!
Please join us for her farewell celebration on Thursday, June 19 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the staff lounge on the 1st floor.
Shared on behalf of Chris McNaughton, Administrative Manager- 2A/2B/2C/TCU
I am pleased to announce that Kelli Gerry has accepted the position of Patient Care Manager 2C Cardiology, Stroke, and Outpatient Vascular Services.
Kelli began her nursing career in 2002 at the Port Arthur General Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit, before transitioning to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) when it opened in 2004.
In 2008, she embraced a new challenge and accepted a position in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, where she has spent the past 17 years building strong clinical expertise and developing meaningful relationships within the cardiology team.
Most recently, she has served as the temporary Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for cardiology, a role that has fostered both personal and professional growth and ultimately inspired her further pursuit into Leadership.
Outside of work, she is a proud mom of two boys and spends much of her free time cheering them on at the hockey arena, enjoys skiing, biking, and relaxing at camp on weekends.
Kelli will be transferring from her current role as TFT CNS to FT PCM 2C in the coming weeks. Please join me in welcoming Kelli to her new role, and welcoming her to leading our team.
Shared on behalf of the Occupational Health and Safety Department
Measles is a very contagious virus that can survive in the air or on surfaces for two hours. One infected person can infect 9 or 10 other unvaccinated close contacts. It can be transmitted by an infected person from four days prior to the onset of the rash to four days after the rash erupts.
Measles is becoming more prevalent in Ontario, with the number of cases being the highest it has been in 10 years. Although there are currently no cases of measles in Thunder Bay, we need to be aware of how to protect ourselves.
Occupational Health and Safety has recently reviewed all staff, to ensure they are in compliance with the mandatory requirement of either having laboratory evidence of proof of immunity to measles, or proof of two doses of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine.
Other ways we can protect ourselves is by ensuring we are up to date with N95 mask fit testing (see N95 mask fit information above). Staff should be performing Infection Control Risk Assessments on their patients (an evaluation of the interaction of the health care worker, the patient, and the patient environment to assess and analyze the potential for exposure to infectious disease) prior to each interaction with the patient, and wearing the appropriate PPE based on the Infection Control Risk Assessment and isolation signs posted for patients.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), in partnership with University Health Network’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, is taking a bold step forward to enhance cardiovascular care in Northwestern Ontario.
Together, we are co-developing a new Cardiovascular Surgery (CVS) Program at TBRHSC—an initiative that will transform access to life-saving cardiac care for our region.
We are now entering a truly exciting phase of this project. More than 76,000 square feet of space at our Hospital will be renovated and expanded to support a comprehensive CVS program. This will enable us to deliver vital cardiac procedures right here in Thunder Bay—reducing wait times for both urgent and elective surgeries and ensuring that patients across our region have timely access to essential, specialized care.
To mark this important milestone, we spoke with some of the staff and health care providers who are directly involved in shaping this program. We asked them a simple question:
“What does care closer to home mean to you?”
Here’s what they had to say.