From L-R: Shirley Wragg, Vice-President of the Volunteer Association to TBRHSC; Guilia Danielle, RN; Adam Vinet, Vice President, Patient Experience and Chief Nursing Executive, Vice President, Cancer Care Services, North West Region.
Giulia Danielle continues to advance her nursing practice though continuous education to the benefit of her fellow colleagues, her team, regional patients and their families.
Giulia graduated from Lakehead University Bachelor of Science Nursing Program in 2017. Since that time, she has received her Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Certification, Addiction Care and Treatment (University of British Columbia), CNA Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing Certification, and Healthcare: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. Most recently she has enrolled in her Masters of Health Administration, University of Regina. Giulia has served on Alpha Court’s Board of Directors as well as Alpha Court’s Governance Committee since 2019. She is also a member of the Canadian Nurses Association and Registered Nurses Association. In addition, Giulia was an active participant with developing our Strategic Plan 2026 by serving as a member of a Strategic Planning Focus Group.
Giulia has engaged in countless training sessions including RNAO’s Best Practice Champion and has been an active community role model by volunteering regularly at the Thunder Bay Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA). In addition, she has volunteered at St. Andrew’s Dew Drop Inn, Alzheimer Society, Heart & Stroke Foundation and Shelter House Thunder Bay.
Giulia currently works on the Mental Health Assessment Team and the Adult Mental Health In-Patient Unit. She has a strong desire to lead and previously led her team through two successful trials of the Regional Mental Health Assessment Team (MHAT) service. This service was developed in partnership with St. Joseph’s Care Group (SJCG) and Lake of the Woods District Hospital (LWDH). Giulia’s enthusiasm for the program was infectious and her determination was admired. Her patients, their families, and our regional partners benefited from this service by eliminating the need to transfer 60% of referred patients to our Hospital or LWDH. Instead, patients received care closer to home and usually in their home communities. This new program elevated the nursing profession by delivering care that traditionally involved psychiatry only. The program continues to deliver this successful service because of Giulia’s dedication to the nursing profession. Giulia is truly an exceptional nurse!
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has established a new Disconnecting From Work policy, applicable to all employees, as required by the Employment Standards Act (ESA). Disconnecting from work is defined in the ESA to mean not engaging in work-related communications, including emails, telephone calls, video calls or sending or reviewing other messages, to be free from the performance of work. The policy set our expectations, if any, to read or reply to work-related emails or answer work-related phone calls outside working hours..
To celebrate the start of Pride Month, the Progress Pride flag was raised today at our Hospital. Every June, communities across Canada celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Intersex people, including Allies) communities, diversity, and love in all its forms. As a regional health care provider, our Hospital recognizes the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in shaping the care we provide and the research we do. Raising the Progress Pride flag for Pride Month is one way our Hospital demonstrates our commitment to a kind, accepting and inclusive culture for our patients and our employees. Patients and families have the right to safe and equitable health care and staff have the right to an inclusive workplace where they feel valued. Our Hospital is dedicated to fostering a an environment, free from discrimination, for all.
In this photo (from L-R):Dr. Bradley Jacobson, Chief of Staff, TBRHSC; Jason Veltri, Contract Procurement Specialist, Northern Supply Chain and President of Rainbow Collective, Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President & CEO, TBRHSC and CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute; Amy Carr, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, TBRHSC; and Adam Vinet, VP, Patient Experience and Chief Nursing Executive, TBRHSC, and Vice President, Cancer Care Services, North West Region.
Stroke continues to be the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in Canada; approximately 1 in 4 people will have a stroke in their lifetime. Which is why every June, for Stroke Awareness Month, the Northwestern Ontario Regional Stroke Network wants to provide information on recognizing the signs of a stroke and to act quickly.
Stroke is a medical emergency in which minutes matter. Calling your emergency services number immediately is critical to ensure that the person gets timely care and treatment, potentially avoiding significant disability.
Click here or on the Intranet banner to test your stroke knowledge for a chance to win a prize.
On May 31st, our Hospital’s Green Team partnered with staff volunteers from across the organization to participate in EcoSuperior’s annual Spring Up to Clean Up challenge. Thanks to their efforts, our grounds look cleaner, greener and more beautiful.
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Pictured (L-R):Stephanie Rowan, Kristi Judge, Kimberly Myros, Madeline Reinikka, Lori Siver, Nicole Moffett, Kevin LeFevre, Christian Nielsen, Kim Fossum, and Kyle Swazey. Participants not pictured are Peter Myllymaa and Ashley Hindman.
Shared on behalf of Laura Macgowan, Manager, Employee Relations
We are pleased to share that the Ontario government is providing a Temporary Nursing Retention Incentive (TNRI), in the form of a lump sum payment of up to $5,000 per person, paid in two installments. All practicing nurses, who are in good standing with the CNO and are an employee of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) in a non-leadership position on March 31, 2022, are eligible to receive the first installment. Those who remain employed as of September 1, 2022 will be eligible for the second installment.
Nurses who hold a permanent full-time position and meet the eligibility criteria above will automatically qualify for payment and no further action is required.
Nurses that are not employed in a permanent full-time position, and therefore may be working for multiple employers, are required to complete an Attestation of Hours Form to claim the incentive. The hours worked in the qualifying period for TBRHSC have been completed on the form, which has been mailed to the home address on record. It is an employee’s responsibility to ensure their home address on file is accurate, please email any address updates to TBRHSC.humanresources@tbh.net.
The Attestation of Hours Form must be received by Human Resources no later than June 15, 2022. If a form is not returned by June 15, 2022, it will not be processed and no payment will be made. TBRHSC will assume that the nurse has completed an Attestation of Hours Form for another employer and that they will not be claiming the TNRI through our Hospital.
Payment to all qualifying nurses for the first installment of the TNRI will be made on June 23, 2022.
Payment to all qualifying nurses for the second installment of the TNRI will be made on September 15, 2022.
Nurses who are on an approved leave who qualify for the TNRI, will receive their payment upon their return to work.
If you have any questions or of you do not receive an attestation form in the mail, please contact TBRHSC.humanresources@tbh.net
A bariatric stretcher chair for the ICU is one of many equipment purchases funded by the Thunder Bay 50/50 draw.
Each year, a committee comes together to determine where funds raised by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation will be allocated. In previous years, these funds came solely from donations and events, but since the pandemic put many things on hold, the Foundation was forced to pivot to come up with new ways to raise money for the Hospital. Thunder Bay 50/50 draw started in early 2021, and the success of the draw meant more dollars coming in, which means more grants could be approved, in turn purchasing more equipment for our Hospital.
Although there are more dollars available from the 50/50 draw, the process to purchase equipment and make upgrades in the Hospital remains the same. This ensures that these funds are allocated broadly, and fairly. In recent years, there have been higher demands for upgrades, as our once “new” Hospital is now nearly 20 years old. In addition to the age of the Hospital, expansion of our cancer centre and cardiovascular programs mean more funding is needed to help provide the best care for our patients.
A capital planning team comes together each year, consisting of representatives from across the Hospital. This team discusses and determines the needs of each department, and from there, departments are invited to submit their applications for equipment funding to the Foundation. This way, each department is able to submit an application for a grant to purchase equipment or make upgrades that may be necessary. No dollar amount is too big or small – in the past, grants have been approved for small items such as IV pumps, to larger items like automated medication dispensers, surgical tables, and even a new 3T MRI scanner.
Once the Foundation receives all of the completed grant applications from the different departments, a committee comes together to review the applications. Members of the committee come from different backgrounds to represent a broad segment of the population. Each member has a different thought process and perspective – the wide representation ensures a non-biased evaluation of both Hospital and community needs.
“I have participated in medical equipment selection for a number of years, dating back to my days at McKellar Hospital,” says Dr. George Doig. “Over time, the selection committee has become very diverse, and has grown from physicians and Hospital staff, to include other community members with different backgrounds, like business, finance, and even dentistry, to ensure transparency and fair representation. This is also great because everyone has a different perspective. I believe we do a good job making decisions that will best benefit healthcare in Northwestern Ontario as a whole, not just specific departments within the Hospital.”
When assessing the applications, the committee members follow strict guidelines, which includes a scoring matrix to determine the importance to both patient care, and what will most help the staff to provide that high level of care. When selecting grants for approval, members try and ensure that as many departments and areas of the hospital are represented, try to broadly allocate the funds available, and ensure everyone’s needs are met. The primary concern is that grants are funded that will in turn benefit patients the most.
“Our team considers all applications, and our thorough and diligent review process takes into consideration those that will benefit as many of our patients as possible, and in particular those that take into account the needs of the Hospital staff,” says Barry Streib, Grant Committee Member, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. “Our Grant Committee reviews the applications first individually, and the committee then comes together to deliberate and discuss our thoughts on each. Our selections, once the team agrees, then proceeds to the Foundation Board of Directors for final approval. In this way we are able to share our perspectives with everyone to ensure the decisions made are for the benefit of the health care professionals to provide the best possible patient care at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and to our health care centres in the region.”
Once the Board of Directors gives their final approval, departments are notified that their requests have been approved, and then they are able to order the equipment for their unit. The Grant Committee is currently reviewing the applications submitted for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, with approximately $6.9 Million in funding requested.
More equipment funded thanks to Thunder Bay 50/50 proceeds
The Thunder Bay 50/50’s proceeds go towards funding the areas of highest needs, so grants from any department may be approved for funding with these dollars. This is unlike donations that go into specific funds, like the Northern Cancer Fund, Northern Cardiac Fund, or towards areas like research, paediatrics, urology, or mental health, to name a few.
In 2021, over $4.2 Million in equipment purchases and facility upgrades were approved in the Grant Funding process, which is the most the committee has ever been able to approve. This is largely due to the increase of dollars that came in from the Thunder Bay 50/50 draw. Some of the items that were approved for funding include:
Replacement Digital Radiography X-Ray Equipment for the Fracture Clinic ($614,270)
Echocardiography machine for the Cardiovascular Sciences Program ($500,000)
Automated Medication Dispensing Units for the Pharmacy ($500,000)
A new Minimally Invasive Surgery Suite for the Operating Room ($327,067)
General Ultrasound Unit and Probes for Diagnostic Imaging ($180,000)
Delivery Carts, Infant Warmers, Bili Blankets, OR Tables and other equipment for Labour and Delivery ($120,000)
Portable Medial Lifts for various departments ($25, 600)
Bariatric Stretcher Chair for the ICU ($12,199)
As approved equipment purchases arrive at our Hospital, they are added to www.healthsciencesfoundation.ca/5050impact. Some of this equipment may take months between approval, purchase and delivery, so the website will continue to be updated as these items arrive.
In addition to the Grants that were funded, $1 Million from the 50/50 Draw has been allocated to the Our Hearts at Home campaign, for equipment purchases for the Cardiovascular Surgery program. The Hospital is currently working the Ministry of Health on the planning and design of the program and facility.
Dollars will also be going towards replacing one of the Cath Lab Suites, including a new C-arm, and also towards upgrades in the cancer centre, which will be a multi-year project that will include both equipment purchases and facility improvements.
Crystal Covello (and family) and Valerie Covello are the winners of the winner of the May 2022 Thunder Bay 50/50 jackpot.
Crystal Covello from Thunder Bay, ON is the lucky winner of the May Thunder Bay 50/50 Grand Prize draw, bringing home a jackpot of $615,790.
Crystal was in utter shock when she was the recipient of the famous phone call on the last Friday of the month from Glenn Craig, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation.
“There’s no way!,” Crystal said when she heard the news. She shared that she actually purchased tickets with her mother-in-law, Valerie Covello, so she will be spitting the winnings with her, and will be putting her share towards a new house.
The Thunder Bay 50/50 is a monthly draw in which proceeds go towards purchasing vital equipment and making upgrades at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and its satellite programs across Northwestern Ontario. To date, over $12 Million in prizes has been awarded to winners from across Ontario, and in turn, millions of dollars of vital equipment has been purchased for the Hospital.
“It feels good to deliver the good news that someone has just won hundreds of thousands of dollars,” says Glenn Craig, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. “We are launching our June draw today, and we are always changing the Early Bird prize board from month-to-month to keep things exciting. This month there are 8 Early Bird draws, meaning more chances to win!”
June Draw Now Open
June’s draw will feature exciting Early Bird draws throughout the month, and the grand prize jackpot happening Friday, June 24. Tickets for the June 2022 jackpot are now are available online only at www.thunderbay5050.ca.
Ticket packages as follows:
$10 for 5 numbers
$20 for 30 numbers
$50 for 150 numbers
$75 for 300 numbers (Best Value)
** Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 23, 2022 to be eligible for the Grand Prize draw on Friday, June 24, 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.
Video Caption – Glenn Craig, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation contacts Crystal Covello, letting her know she won the May 2022 Thunder Bay 50/50 Jackpot.
