Shared on behalf of Stephanie Rowan, Manager Nutrition and Food Services/General Manager Sodexo Retail, Matthew Laudone Manager Sodexo Retail

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As our Hospital continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions, the limited access to our retail space has been a challenge. As a result, we have had to make the decision to align our hours of operation. This is a temporary measure, and we will continue to assess as we move through each Pandemic Level Response. 

There has been a decline in the number of customers since the pandemic started in March 2020, which we continue to see. While other hospitals with the same service did implement temporary closures, we have been able to keep our operations open.

Our customers are important to us, and as such, we have adjusted our hours to work with the decreased foot traffic, while striving to maintain the best level of service possible.  We have changed our service style to accommodate these hours. We offer a variety of hot (microwaveable) and cold take out items, and we will continue to add or change our menu items based on your valued input.

Our current temporary hours of operations are:

• Monday to Friday:  8:00 am to 3:00 pm (Full Service) 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm (Service to Go/Market Style)
• Saturday and Sunday:  9:00 am to 3:00 pm (Service to Go/Market Style)

In order to help us better understand your needs, please take two minutes to complete the short survey (attached), or complete online here. The survey will run from May 24 to June 10 and hard copies can be picked up and submitted at our Servers Station in our Flavours Café.

We thank you for your continued service and look forward to hearing from you.

Your Sodexo Retail Team

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) Forensic Program serves adults who come into contact with the law and who may have a psychiatric disorder. The program provides both inpatient and outpatient services to the area of Northwestern Ontario from the Manitoba border to White River. As part of the program, Therapeutic Recreationists provide activities to enhance patient quality of life and develop leisure skills. Art is one activity that provides the inpatients of Forensic Mental Health the opportunity to express themselves creatively, explore new skills and find enjoyment, as they navigate treatment before community reintegration. This display is comprised of various pieces of art made by the inpatients of the Forensic Mental Health unit at TBRHSC. The hope of this display is to bring positive awareness to an area of care that few are familiar with, and to a population that is often stigmatized. More importantly, it is a place where we can recognize the efforts and creative accomplishments of the patients. The display is located in the Cafeteria near the East elevators and will be updated throughout the year with new art pieces.

Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control

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Please be advised that the COVID-19 outbreak at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s TCU is declared over as of May 27, 2022. All restrictions have been lifted.

As always, our number one priority is the safety of patients and their families, staff and visitors. Infection Prevention and Control encourages everyone to keep applying the routine practices of hand hygiene, proper use of PPE and equipment cleaning.

For more information, please contact Infection Prevention and Control at extension 6094.

Thanks to our generous donors, patient care at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s Fracture Clinic got a huge boost this winter with the installation of a brand new X-ray unit. The old unit, which is original to our Hospital when it opened in 2004, was aging and in desperate need of replacement. Without onsite X-rays, patients would have to go all the way down to Diagnostic Imaging (DI).

“Many patients are on crutches or in wheelchairs, so that long trip down the hallway would be difficult,” said Mitchell Barr, one of the Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs) at the Fracture Clinic.

“Everyone who comes here has mobility issues or an injury – that’s why they’re here,” said Erin Arps, another MRT at the clinic. “That long walk can be hard on them.”

Having expert MRTs like Erin and Mitchell within the Fracture Clinic is as important as having the unit itself.

MRTs play a vital role in each patient’s X-ray. First, MRTs are trained medical professionals who ensure the X-ray images are clear and accurate. This involves a lot of patient interaction, assisting those with mobility issues and helping get them into position.

But MRTs also provide vital clinical support for physicians assessing those X-rays.

“Having a skilled MRT working right here in the Fracture Clinic enables collaborative practice as doctors diagnose, treat, and follow up that much faster,” said Erin. Fracture Clinic doctors wouldn’t have that support at hand if patients always went to DI.

The new unit itself is a huge advancement in patient care. For one thing, the physical operation of the unit makes it easier on the patient. The X-ray table lowers farther than ever to make it easier for patients with mobility issues to get onto the table. In some cases, the table isn’t need at all.

“We can actually remove the X-ray detector and put it under their stretcher or wheelchair for some types of images, so it saves them from even having to get onto the X-ray table,” Mitchell said.

This and other functionality also helps prevent MRT injury when helping patients, making X-rays safer for both patients and staff.

“The unit can move itself into position, so that’s less wear and tear on our bodies, too,” Erin said.

Auto-positioning is thanks to the built-in artificial intelligence (AI) system, which also helps with the scans themselves. For example, the unit can detect the size of the body part to be X-rayed and “adapt” radiation levels accordingly. That way, smaller body parts – such as the wrist of a child – automatically receive lower doses of radiation. The AI also helps with decision support during imaging, all completely controlled by the skilled MRTs.

All in all, the new unit helps our MRTs provide better patient care to everyone visiting the Fracture Clinic.

“We are so thankful for the donors who are helping the MRTs provide better patient care,” Erin said. “We can now provide our patients with more adaptable X-rays at lower radiation doses. We couldn’t do it without you.”

Congratulations to the teams on 2C, 3B and 3C for meeting their hand hygiene compliance goals for the month of April! Each team celebrated with some sweet treats last week.

These units are involved in the hand hygiene quality improvement project, which is working to improve compliance rates by providing regular updates on compliance and through engagement with staff. Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has set a hospital wide target of 90% compliance for hand hygiene.

Hand hygiene is the best way to prevent hospital acquired infections. Hand hygiene should be preformed at the following times:

• 4 moments of hand hygiene
  
  1. Before initial patient/ patient environment contact
  2. Before aseptic procedures
  3. After body fluid exposure
  4. After patient/ patient environment contact

• If hands are visibly soiled (soap and water required)
• Before donning gloves/ after doffing gloves
• Before preparing, handling, serving or eating food
• After delivery or collection of meal trays/plates
• After touching environmental surfaces or objects (e.g. reusable equipment, door handles)

Hello, Boozhou, Bonjour.

I wanted to share some good news with you regarding our accreditation process.

As you know, accreditation is a point in time assessment on our journey to excellence. It is a test and a great indication, however, of the amazing work we have been able to continue even through the challenges of the pandemic.

On May 15^th, we welcomed four accreditation surveyors for the on-site survey from Accreditation Canada – a not for profit, independent organization that sets standards for quality and safety in health care and accredits health care organizations from around the world. 

As part of the Accreditation process, our organization has undergone a rigorous evaluation process.  Following a comprehensive self-assessment, our external peer surveyors conducted the on-site survey to assess our organization’s leadership, governance, clinical programs and services against Accreditation Canada’s requirements for quality and safety. The requirements included national standards of excellence, safety practices to reduce potential harm, and questionnaires to assess the work environment, patient safety culture, governance functioning and patient experience. 

I am pleased to tell you that based on the preliminary survey findings reported yesterday at our all-staff debriefing, the lead surveyor reported that we hit 99.19% compliance out of the 2,870 criteria we were measured against. As well, we were successful in meeting all of the Required Organizational Practices (ROPs) that were applied to our organization. 

That is an incredible improvement in comparison to 2018 when our survey resulted in 98.4% compliance where 46 criteria were unmet and we did not meet all ROPs. This survey we had to comply with more criteria and only 23 were unmet – a reduction of 50%. In addition, we were able to meet a 100% with our ROPs.

Best yet, our surveyors reported back what we already know: that our teams are an “incredibly caring family who are deeply committed and dedicated to the patients and community we serve.” They went on to say: “You truly are a regional hospital.”

Congratulations to all of you!

It was refreshing to hear the recommendations and alignment of those in keeping with our strategic plan goals and objectives. Together this will continue to lead our organizational efforts to achieve exceptional care for every patient, every time.  

A full and final report with Standing is anticipated over the next several weeks. In the meantime, a huge thanks for your incredible work once again.

We look forward to formally celebrating this major milestone with the receipt of the final report anticipated next month. 

Enjoy your weekend. 

As always, I welcome comments on this blog or any other matter. You can reach me at: crockerelr@tbh.net

A big thank you goes out to all the groups and teams for their contributions to Accreditation over the past many weeks and months.

Accreditation Team:

Kristin Shields, Jennifer Wintermans, Chitra Jacob, Sheri Maltais, Annette Klement (pictured) and Patrizia Charrette.

Accreditation Committee:

Chitra Jacob and Sheri Maltais (Co-chairs), Scribe: Annette Clement, Kristin Shields, Jennifer Wintermans, Adam Vinet, Carina Desramaux, Cathy Pilot, Dawna Maria Perry, Georgia Carr, Michelle Addison, Dr. Ranjit Baboolal, Ron Turner, and Trisha Gibson.

Logistics Working Group:

Annette Clement, Patrizia Charrette, Donna Jeanpierre, Kristin Shields, Kyle Swazey, Nicole Moffett, Sheila Brown, Vanessa Masters (pictured), Marcello Bernardo, and Cora Roullard.

IT and Communications Team:

Marcello Bernardo, Rob Srigley (pictured), Steve Coghill, Cora Roullard, Franco Scalzo, Mike Scott, and Janice Andrew-Cotter.

Accreditation Jeopardy (photo)

Kendra Walt, Bruno Tassone, and Brittney McLaughlin.

ROP Leads

Julia Bailey, Katherine Bell, John Ross, Carina Desramaux, Deb Emery, George Fieber, Dawna Maria Perry, Kristin Shields, Anne Marie Heron, Katherine Mayer, Kendra Walt, Lisa Beck, Bonnie Nicholas, Dan Ward, Dr. Lise Mozzon, Jodi Lewicki, Martina Boote, Chitra Jacob, Sheri Maltais, and Martin Sabourin.

Canadian Patient Safety Working Group

Katherine Mayer, Jessica Munn, Lisa Morin , Shelly Sanderson , Jesalynn Beebe, Kendra Walt, Terah White, Debra Everts, George Fieber, Catherine O’Neil, Kelly Keeler, Laura Swancar, Emma Koivu, Dr. Olga Kisselgoff, Dr. Travis Marion, Dr. Ranjit Babolaal, Harrison Nelson, Daniel Davoudpour, and Valerie Dennison.

Food Services

Matthew Laudone, Saneesh Thadathiparmbil, and Jessica McMahon.

Housekeeping

Kyle Swazey and Cory Parent.

Capital Planning and Operations

Kaitlyn Mauracher and Allan Korol.

Do you have questions about scheduling? Check out some of the new resources on the Staffing Office intranet page: https://informed.tbrhsc.net/departments/staffing .

This page will also be a one-stop-shop for information about the new scheduling and payroll system upgrade which will enable staff to have access to schedules anywhere, anytime. Stay tuned for more on this, and keep checking back to this page as new content will be uploaded regularly.

This general debriefing session, conducted by Accreditation Canada Surveyor Marianne Walker, provided opportunity to report back to all staff about the survey, and highlight the successes and what our Hospital is doing well.