Celebrated each March, Pharmacy Appreciation Month is a time to highlight the growing role pharmacy professionals play in our health care system and thank them for their extraordinary efforts.
When most people think of pharmacies, they think of going to the drug store to fill a prescription and talking to a pharmacist for advice. The Pharmacy Departments at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) provide a much different service. The Main Inpatient Pharmacy provides all medications to patients in the Hospital through our dedicated Pharmacy Technician team. Our Pharmacy Technicians also complete best possible medication histories for patient’s admitted to the hospital, the first step in reconciling home medications. The pharmacists can be found in the patient care areas working with patients, families, prescribers and nurses to ensure the most appropriate medications are used to improve the health of patients. The Cancer Centre Pharmacy team ensures that cancer patients receive safe and effective chemotherapy while the Specialty Pharmacy provides supportive medications and oral chemotherapy to Thunder Bay and the region.
As part of an interprofessional team, the Department of Pharmacy provides services in four general areas:
Pharmacy Services for Inpatient and Outpatient programs
Chemotherapy Preparation
Specialized Retail Pharmacy
Regional Pharmacy Program
The Department of Pharmacy provides timely, quality pharmaceutical and consultation services – an important element of excellent Patient and Family Centred Care.
Pharmacy professionals in our Hospital work tirelessly to ensure that patients receive the best possible care, and their contributions have been remarkable. Join us in celebrating our Hospital’s amazing pharmacy professionals during Pharmacy Appreciation Month!
Some members of the Cancer Centre and Specialized Pharmacy teams at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Members of the Main Inpatient Pharmacy team at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Registration is now open for SCOPE (Surgical Care Optimization & Primary Care Education), hosted by the Regional Surgical Services team at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Who should attend?
MDs, NPs, PAs, medical students, nurses, physiotherapists, and chiropractors.
What can participants expect?
Participants will get up to date practice guidance on various medical/surgical conditions, master orthopedic physical assessments, and learn new clinical skill sets in cortisone injection practice. Participants will have the opportunity to network with our Central Intake team to better incorporate electronic referral platforms and pathways into their primary care practice and various community programs and services to optimize patient care.
Participating Specialties
Hematology, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Gynecology, Otolaryngology, and Surgical Oncology.
When and where is this happening?
Date: May 4, 2026 Time: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Location: Valhalla Inn, Thunder Bay, ON
Please be advised, we have revised the Hospital’s policy QM-80 Quality of Care Reviews.
Actions Required
Managers – Review this memo and the attached poster with your staff during Safety/Quality Huddles and post in your department. The approved updated policy is attached for reference and is now available on the iNtranet.
Key Policy Changes
Policy Statement Change: Focus on “Patient Safety” changed to “Just Culture”, and learners added to the employees listed.
New Definitions Added:
Clinical Debrief (aka “Hot Debrief”): Following a critical incident, a meeting to summarize the case, determine what went well and opportunities for improvement, and to highlight where actions are required.
Critical Incident: Unintended event, resulting in death or serious disability, injury or harm, and does not result from patient’s underlying medical condition or from a known risk inherent in providing treatment.
Incident Triage Team (ITT): A group of leadership who will meet within 48-72 hours of a critical incident to determine if a Quality of Care (QOC) Review is required, and if so, what type of review.
QOC Reviews: Further defined as Departmental Reviews, Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) Reviews, Critical Incident and Process Reviews for systemic issues.
Procedural Updates:
Procedure 5.1:Updated to include reference to ITT.
Procedure 5.2 & 5.3: Clarification provided regarding Quality of Care Information Protection Act (QCIPA)-protected reviews.
Procedure 6.2: Insertion of Clinical Debriefing process.
Procedure 6.3: Updated requirements of review and classification of incident.
Procedure 6.4: Insertion of process for consultation with ITT and determining necessity of QOC review.
Procedure 6.8: Clarification to whom information pertaining to reviews can be disclosed.
Procedure 7: References updated; information on debriefing included.
Appendix A: Incident Review Process Flowchart.
Appendix B: Clinical Debriefing Guide (S.T.O.P.).
Key Process Reminders
Please see the attached poster. Please email us should you have any questions at TBRHSC.QualityandRiskManagement@tbh.net.
Shared on behalf of Ryan Sears, Code Grey Executive Sponsor
The Hospital has finalized a new sub-category response plan policy to provide key information regarding roles and responsibilities related to hazard specific disruptions to water and drainage. This sub category response plan policy directly supports the overarching Code Grey – Infrastructure Disruption or Failure (EMER-10B) policy.
New Sub-Category Response Plan Policy
A loss or disruption of water or drainage will impact various elements of Hospital operations depending on the scale and scope (i.e., boil water advisory for a particular contaminate versus a full loss of water across the building).
The Code Grey – Water or Drainage (EMER-10B-5) policy provides key information regarding responsibilities applicable to specific roles during such incidents, as well as instructions for all staff.
This policy obsoletes Boil Water Advisory (CPO-07).
Actions Required
1. Read this memo and review the new sub-category response plan policy to familiarize yourself with important process changes.
2. Managers to ensure that the new sub-category response plan policy is added to their area’s emergency binder(s) and that all workers review the attached diagram and policy.
Process Reminders
Code Grey applies to incidents where the Hospital experiences a significant unplanned disruption or loss of essential services, such as any utility or the use of hospital facilities.
Upon discovery of a significant infrastructure disruption or failure:
o Report failure to your Supervisor.
o Supervisor will confirm and notify Switchboard at “55.”
o Switchboard will announce: “Code Grey – Alert – [Type and Location]”.
o Incident Manager or designate will advise Switchboard when to announce it is Confirmed.
Please note that additional sub-category response plan policies are currently in development to address each of the failure types recognized in the Code Grey – Infrastructure scope definition (see Sec. 3 of EMER-10B).
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mēsha Richard, Lead, Emergency Preparedness (ext. 6552 or mesha.richard@tbh.net)
Shared on behalf of Adam Vinet, VP, Patient Experience, CNE & RVP, Regional Cancer Care
The rate of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) in Thunder Bay and Region have significantly reduced over the past several weeks. In light of the decreased ILI activity, the Hospital will be moving to Level 2 masking protocols.
Starting Monday, March 16, 2026, mandatory masking will decrease from Level 3 to Level 2 across all inpatient units, outpatient departments and patient-facing clinical areas within the hospital.
With this change, all Staff, Professional Staff, Learners, Volunteers and Essential Care Partner’s (ECPs)/Care Partner’s (CPs) must wear a minimum Level 3 procedure mask when entering every patient room, exam rooms or other patient-facing care spaces, and when unable to maintain 6ft physical distancing standards.
All ECPs/CPs visiting inpatient rooms, must wear a minimum Level 3 procedure mask when entering a patient’s room and at any time they are unable to maintain 6ft physical distancing standards.
All Staff, Professional Staff, Learners, Volunteers and ECPs/CPs are encouraged to exercise their own risk analysis and level of comfort for masking above the minimum requirements. Masking is required at all times for anyone who fails self-screening and their presence is essential at the hospital and/or masking is deemed necessary based on IPAC protocols. ECPs/CPs are discouraged from visiting the Hospital if they are experiencing symptoms of a communicable illness.
Masks will continue to be made available at all public/staff entrances on the sanitizing stands, as well as at the unit/department level should you or a member of the public require a mask.
Staff, Professional Staff, Learners, Volunteers and ECPs/CPs will continue to wear a Level 3 procedure mask at all times while on the Acute Oncology wing of 1A, for protection of the patients. In order to reduce the spread of communicable diseases we encourage everyone to follow proper hand hygiene techniques.
Thank you for your commitment to keeping our patients, staff and Hospital safe. If you have any questions, please ask your manager or reach out to IPAC at extension 6094 for further details on best practices.
Shared on behalf of Crystal Edwards, Director, Women & Children’s and Mental Health Programs
I am pleased to announce that Jason Cooper has accepted the position of Manager, Forensic Mental Health Program effective March 23, 2026.
Jason has been serving as the Acting Manager for the Forensic Mental Health program since the fall, following a brief transition as the Coordinator for the Mental Health Program. During this time, he has provided steady leadership and continuity for the team. Prior to these leadership roles, he worked as the Patient Care Coordinator for Adult Mental Health for the past five years.
Jason brings more than 20 years of clinical experience as a Registered Nurse working the majority of his career in acute mental health settings. Over the years he has gained valuable experience in a wide variety of environments, including Thunder Bay Corrections, the District Jail, and the Adult Mental Health Unit here at TBRHSC. These diverse experiences have provided Jason with a strong understanding of the complexities of mental health care across both hospital and justice systems.
Throughout his nursing career, Jason has demonstrated a deep passion and commitment to supporting individuals living with and experiencing mental illness. He has developed extensive knowledge of the Mental Health Act and other relevant legislation and understands the intersection of mental health care and the provincial justice system.
In his leadership roles, Jason has consistently demonstrated humanistic leadership, focused on building meaningful relationships. He is known for his approachable manner, collaborative approach, and his ability to communicate with professionalism, clarity, and respect. Jason is committed to fostering a culture of safety, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement while supporting his teams in delivering compassionate, evidence-informed care.
Please join me in congratulating Jason on this well-deserved appointment and in welcoming him to this role on a permanent basis.
We’re delighted to announce that the renovation of our Robin’s Donuts store at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is complete, and we are back to full operations. We sincerely thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this time.
Starting April 2026, our store will be freshly baking products on-site, ensuring you enjoy the best taste and quality. This Spring, we’re also expanding our menu to include flatbread pizza and a wider selection of grab-and-go options — perfect for a quick snack or meal on the move.
On Thursday, March 12, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre experienced a Code Grey that affected network services, including internet connectivity and some cloud-based applications.
The disruption was identified through system monitoring and staff reports. Our technical teams worked with our vendor and regional partners to investigate and isolate the issue. Corrective actions were implemented and systems were stabilized.
During the disruption, clinical and non-clinical teams followed Code Grey procedures and contingency workflows to maintain operations and ensure continuity of patient care. Your teamwork and commitment to patient safety helped ensure care continued with minimal disruption.
All systems have now been fully restored and are operating normally, and staff may resume regular work activities. Our teams have verified functionality across key applications and network systems; however, if you encounter any issues, please contact the IT Help Desk so they can be addressed promptly.
A post-incident review will be conducted to identify opportunities to strengthen system resilience, and any lessons learned will be shared.
Thank you to all staff for your professionalism, patience, and collaboration during this event.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a major health challenge, affecting 1 in 10 Canadians. Often silent in its early stages, CKD can progress unnoticed until it leads to serious health complications. The disease significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, reduces quality of life, and can eventually lead to kidney failure. At that stage, survival depends on life-sustaining kidney replacement therapies such as dialysis or kidney transplantation.
This World Kidney Day, the Northwest Regional Renal Program is raising awareness about Chronic Kidney Disease and the unique challenges faced by patients living throughout Northwestern Ontario.
TBRHSC’s own Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse, Kayeleigh Larocque, with financial support from The Kidney Foundation of Canada, designed a shirt to help spark conversation and awareness. The following is her inspiration behind the artwork.
“The design is telling our story of dialysis in Northern Ontario. In the North, our Regional Renal Program faces unique challenges. Some of our biggest challenges we have overcome as a team, have been in relation to our unique geography.
Our Renal Program (at TBRHSC) services approximately 50% of Ontario’s geography. As you can imagine, simple solutions, to simple problems, can easily become complicated merely by where our patient is relative to us, and which services they have access to in their community. I really wanted to make something that acknowledged the pride and compassion I see in my team when overcoming our challenges.
With these unique challenges comes exceptional critical thinking application and problem solving. I am proud to be a part of a team that does so much, with so little, so often. We spend a lot of time collaborating together, with outlying healthcare facilities and providers, working to provide our patients with the quickest access to the care they need.
My passion around “water is life” and how I view, in the context of dialysis, water is balance. The kidney in this image is a symbol of life. Whether a patient is on PD or HD (peritoneal or hemo dialysis), their catheter, after starting dialysis is often referred to as their lifeline, a reminder to care for it as such. The kidneys are representative of that. In the middle of the kidneys is a map of Northern Ontario communities and the waterways — the lifeline that connects us all here. They blur with the roots of a tree exploding into leaves that flow back into waves which cradle the kidneys in a delicate balance. This all leads back to Lake Superior, the home of our Regional Renal Program, and indicated with a heart, a signature of the humanity I see in us all as we face our challenges together.”
Photos: Kayeleigh Larocque, Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse, is wearing the shirt she designed with support from The Kidney Foundation of Canada in recognition of World Kidney Day.
Photos above: Kayeleigh Larocque, Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse, is wearing the shirt she designed with support from The Kidney Foundation of Canada in recognition of World Kidney Day.Notes on wall art below.
Photos above: On World Kidney Day, members of TBRHSC’s Northwest Regional Renal Program and Home Hemodialysis Unit wear a commemorative shirt designed by Kayeleigh Larocque, Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse, to bring awareness to chronic kidney disease and the challenges faced by patients living throughout Northwestern Ontario.
Kayeleigh Larocque, Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse at TBRHSC designed the wall art above for the Renal department waiting room. Here is what she said about it:
I wanted everyone that finds themselves in front of this piece of digital art work, to feel like it was made for them. We have not only dialysis patients that find themselves in this space but also family members and even employees.
A lot of people also find themselves here by accident – they may not have known they had kidney disease or never imagined their family member would end up on dialysis. I have this saying that I really like, “Be Here Now.” And even if you’re not happy with where you are or your feelings aren’t positive, you’ve found yourself in this spot no matter what. Regardless of how you’re feeling about how you got here, as a team we find our way through that together.
The waterways and the map are used to connect that idea, with the word “Welcome” written in multiple languages – no matter where in Northern Ontario you came from, the people here are going to get you through. Our common goal as a team is to help this person to where they have to go next.
This art is to acknowledge where someone started, where they are now, and where they are going next.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) offers Patient Oriented Education Tools (POETs) for all patients at our hospital to support their transition from the hospital setting to home and the community. POETs are diagnosis-specific education tools designed to assist patients in identifying next steps when managing symptoms for their condition.
In collaboration with staff, physicians and Patient Family Advisors, the Patient Family Centered Care team has created 82 POETs to date, with the newest POETs focusing on Opioid Use Disorder and Problematic Alcohol Use and Alcohol Use Disorder. POETs also include important information about expected lifestyle changes and contact information for patients who require further assistance with their care.
Opioid Use Disorder POETs
Problematic Alcohol Use and Alcohol Use Disorder POETs
As patient education materials, POETs are available from the Print Shop and must be printed in color to promote a person-centred educational format. To find a complete list of the POETs available at TBRHSC, please go to Departments >> PFCC >> Resources on the intranet.
For more information about POETs, please contact Shannon Schiffer, PFCC Manager at ext. 6345, or Joanita Nakimuli, Discharge Transition Lead at ext. 4379
