Shared on behalf of Caroline Fanti, Director, Regional Surgical Services Manager

---

I am pleased to announce that Marnie Fitzsimons-Watkis is joining Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre as Program Manager for the Local Delivery Group, where she will lead and support the continued implementation and maturation of eReferral and Central Intake across Northwestern Ontario.

In this role, she will focus on advancing patient access to care by leveraging digital health solutions to improve care coordination, streamline referral processes, and enhance both patient and provider experience.

Marnie brings a strong foundation in digital health transformation, change management, and regional collaboration. Most recently, she served as Patient Attachment Coordinator with All Nations Health Partners Ontario Health Team, where she supported Ministry of Health priorities to connect unattached patients to primary care. Through this work, she partnered closely with Ontario Health, local providers, and community organizations to improve equitable access and strengthen patient attachment processes across the region.

Through her previous work with Ontario Health, Marnie led engagement and adoption of digital solutions – including eReferral – across Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario. She has also contributed to the development and implementation of Central Intake models, helping to establish standardized workflows and more coordinated pathways to specialty care.

Marnie is a strong advocate for Patient and Family Centred Care and is passionate about working collaboratively with partners across the system to identify gaps, drive quality improvement, and advance integrated care delivery. She is committed to using digital innovation and system-level thinking to improve outcomes for patients, families, and care teams across the Northwest.

Marnie reports to Caroline Fanti, Director, Regional Surgical Services, who is leading the advancement of the LDG related to Central Intake and eReferral across clinical and digital domains. In alignment with this leadership approach, Marnie will further advance this work across both areas.

Please join me in welcoming Marnie to our team.

Shared on behalf of Justin Garofalo, Vice President, Facilities, Capital Planning and Support Services & CFO

---

I am pleased to announce that Blake Rathje has accepted the position of Director, Support Services, effective June 15, 2026.

Blake brings experience in procurement, supply chain operations, strategic sourcing, and distribution management through his work at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, where he has served as Manager of Strategic Sourcing and Distribution. In this role, he has overseen procurement activities, contract negotiations, and collaborative initiatives with external partners and healthcare organizations

Over the past several years, Blake has demonstrated a strong ability to lead operational improvements while balancing organizational priorities, regulatory compliance, and financial stewardship. His work has supported efficient procurement practices, strengthened vendor and stakeholder relationships, and contributed to initiatives that enhance both operational performance and patient care services

Blake is recognized for his thoughtful leadership approach, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to teamwork. He has built strong relationships across departments and consistently supports a collaborative and service-focused environment

We are excited to see Blake step into this new leadership role and are confident he will continue to make valuable contributions to the organization and the Support Services portfolio.  Blake will work with Phil Thompson during this transition period to ensure a seamless transition and continued support for the team during this change.  Phil’s last day, as previously mentioned, will be July 9, 2026.

Please join me in congratulating Blake on his new role.  He can be reached at Blake.Rathje1@tbh.net and effective June 15, he can be reached at ext. 6773.

We began Indigenous History Month in a good way with a Powwow demonstration at our Hospital. Over 70 staff from across departments, as well as patients and their families, gathered to celebrate and learn together. Powwows are joyful celebrations meant for all of us, and this event provided a chance to experience the traditions, protocols, and teachings of Powwow culture.

A highlight of the event was seeing young dancers share their gifts and stories through dance. Attendees learned about the parts of regalia and the different types of dancing, including Men’s Warrior, Grass, Traditional and Women’s Jingle Dress, and Fancy Shawl/Butterfly Shawl. The demonstration also invited participants to take part in an Intertribal and Social Dance, allowing for a deeper understanding and appreciation of Powwows.

Thank you to Elder Marlene Pierre, Knowledge Keeper Jeordie Pierre, the dancers and drummers as well as everyone who joined us for making this a meaningful start to Indigenous History Month.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Each June, Canadians recognize National Indigenous History Month, a time to honour the histories, cultures, contributions, and resilience of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.

In health care, this month also offers an important opportunity to reflect on the history of Indigenous health in Canada and the lasting impacts of colonization on Indigenous communities. Understanding this history helps health care organizations move toward reconciliation, cultural safety, and equitable care.

Prior to colonization, Indigenous Peoples had strong and sophisticated systems of wellness rooted in community, spirituality, land, traditional medicines, and holistic healing practices. Health was understood as a balance between physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.

However, colonization brought devastating changes. European diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and tuberculosis caused widespread loss of life among Indigenous communities. Government policies later disrupted traditional ways of living, restricted cultural practices, displaced communities from their lands, and created long-term barriers to health and wellness.

The passing of the Indian Act in 1876 gave the federal government extensive control over many aspects of First Nations life. These policies contributed to systemic inequities that continue to affect Indigenous Peoples today.

From 1883 to 1996, the Canadian Indian Residential School system forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and communities. Many children experienced abuse, neglect, malnutrition, loss of language, and cultural disconnection. The impacts of Residential Schools continue to influence mental health, family systems, and trust in institutions, including health care.

During the mid-1900s, many Indigenous patients were also separated from their families for tuberculosis treatment in distant Indian Hospitals. Some children never returned home, and many families received little information about their loved ones. These experiences contributed to intergenerational trauma and mistrust of health care systems.

Despite these harms, Indigenous communities have continually demonstrated resilience, strength, and leadership. Across Canada, Indigenous Peoples continue to revitalize traditional healing practices, advocate for culturally safe care, and lead Indigenous-focused health services and wellness initiatives.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its Calls to Action, including several focused specifically on health care. These Calls urge health care organizations and professionals to recognize the impacts of residential schools, address systemic racism, and support culturally safe and trauma-informed care.

TBRHSC Response to Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action

Released annually, this report shows the work Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) has done to date through Strategic Plan 2026 and highlights our efforts to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. TBRHSC will continue to apply the 94 Calls to Action as a lens to every decision we make as an institution, to ensure we deliver the highest level of compassion and inclusion to every patient, every time. The report focuses on the work that has been done at TBRHSC on five of the 94 Calls to Action (18, 20, 22, 23 and 24) related to health care. In addition, it highlights the work done through partnerships and a timeline of the Indigenous health initiatives to date. To view the most recent report, click here.

Today, reconciliation in health care involves more than awareness. It requires meaningful action:

• listening to Indigenous voices and lived experiences,
• recognizing the ongoing impacts of colonial policies,
• supporting Indigenous-led approaches to wellness;
• and creating healthcare environments that are respectful, safe, and inclusive.

As we recognize National Indigenous History Month, we honour both the truths of the past and the strength, knowledge, and resilience Indigenous communities continue to carry forward.

For more information, visit:

• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action
• National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health
• Indigenous Services Canada

Each year in June, Canada celebrates Pride Month. It is an opportunity to honour the diversity and resilience of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, and also serves as a reminder of the ongoing inequities faced by gender and sexually-diverse individuals in Canada, including within the health care system.

As Pride Month encourages us to address discrimination towards the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Subcommittee and Pride Working Group, on behalf of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Committee invite you to celebrate Pride, and work towards a more inclusive future for 2SLGBTQQIA+ patients, families, staff, and community members.

Pride Kick-Off Booth and Flag Event

We will start off Pride Month with a Kick-Off Booth on Friday, June 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by the annual Pride Flag event at 1:00 p.m. Come by the Main Lobby across from Seasons Gift Shop to learn more about the significance of Pride, and to get some Pride goodies.

Check out the poster below for the events being held throughout the month:

Thunder Pride will be hosting the Pride Festival, taking place at the Friendship Gardens on Saturday, June 5, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

You can learn more about the festival here.

To kick off our celebration of Indigenous History Month, we are excited to host a Powwow demonstration on June 1.

This event will provide staff with a meaningful opportunity to learn about Powwow traditions, protocols, and cultural teachings while participating in a shared cultural experience. Through drumming, dancing, and regalia, staff will gain a deeper understanding of the significance of Powwow within many Indigenous communities and the important role cultural connection plays in wellness, healing, and community. This event supports ongoing learning, cultural awareness, and relationship-building within our Hospital environment.

Date: June 1, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Spirit Garden (1st floor, between 1A and 1B)

Food and beverages will be served. All staff, professional staff, volunteers, and learners are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact Annette Klement at Annette.Klement@tbh.net.

Shared on behalf of Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO, TBRHSC, and CEO, TBRHRI

---

Hello, Boozhoo, Bonjour.

As you know, Accreditation Canada surveyors were on site this month, with four of them working across the building over four days and reviewing more than 2,800 criteria through tracer interviews, observations and conversations with our teams. I want to use this month’s blog to share what those days showed me about you, and what I want you to know coming out of them.

Accreditation surveys are not exams. They are designed to identify both the strengths a hospital brings to its work and the opportunities it has to improve, and both pieces of information matter. The process gives an outside team the chance to see how a hospital actually operates and to hand us back a picture we cannot draw of ourselves. Like every hospital, we have been through this cycle before and we will go through it again, because the work that gets surveyed is the work that happens here every day.

What I witnessed during those four days is what I see every day. Teams managing complex care with focus and steadiness, staff explaining their work to surveyors with confidence, clinical conversations carrying on the way they always do, and patients and families were being met with the attention and care that is your default rather than something put on for the occasion. The surveyors were with us for four days, but you are here for the other 361 days, and those days are not light ones. The Cardiovascular Surgery Program crossed 29 per cent construction completion this spring, the Emergency Department renovation is moving into its next phase, patient rooms across the Hospital are nearly through their refresh, and April marked one year since the launch of the Bridge Northwest Program and our move to Meditech Expanse, with the build phase well underway. You carry all of that alongside the patient care that does not pause for a survey week or anything else.

Through the visit, surveyors offered comments that confirmed what I already knew and believed about our team. The observations shared by the accreditors highlighted the strength of our patient and family centred care model, the scope of our programming, the focus on our region, the clear commitment to cultural sensitivity, and the integration they saw between clinical work and the academics happening alongside it and on how our teams handled questions and feedback as tools to work with rather than threats to manage.

Hearing those things from people whose work is to look at hospitals across the country matters, because it confirms that what we know about ourselves is also visible to outside eyes. The lasting comments related to our clear and purposeful commitment to patient centred care, advocacy, cultural safety, regional responsibilities and academic advancements truly made me proud. I hope you are able to share in this and recognize and appreciate the unique role you play in helping us to achieve our vision and mission each and every day.  

The final report will come in due course, and the work it documents will be excellent. Thank you for the hours you put in to prepare, the steady professionalism you carried through the visit and for the standard of care that exists in this building when no surveyor is watching. That standard, the one that runs through this place when no one is grading it, is the one that matters.

To celebrate all of your incredible efforts at the Hospital and the Health Research Institute, we will take the opportunity to recognize your dedication, resilience and shared commitment through a Staff Appreciation BBQ. I hope to see you all there on June 17th.

Looking forward, Strategic Plan 2026 enters its final months as work on the next plan begins, and engagement activities to shape that next plan will start soon. When they do, I am hoping to hear from you, because the people who deliver care every day know what is working and what is not, and that knowledge belongs in the next plan.

As I wrap up this month’s blog, I want to remind everyone that June is National Indigenous History Month, and I encourage you to attend at least one of the events running across the Hospital and the Health Research Institute through the month.

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed and as always, I welcome any feedback about this blog or any other topics you would like to see addressed. You can reach me at rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net. I appreciate hearing from you.

Congratulations to May’s Patient and Family Centered Care Shout Out Winner, Issac Drotar, RN from 2A.

“In recognition for his efforts in advocating for his patient, Isaac is being acknowledged for his determination and commitment to better patient outcomes. Not only does Isaac possess the knowledge, skills, and judgment needed to become a nurse, he also possesses strong work ethic and compassion that allows him to go above and beyond for his patients.  Isaac consistently demonstrates these qualities daily in all his interactions with patients and their families.”

Do you know someone in our organization who consistently demonstrates exceptional Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC)? We want to hear about them!Simply send a PFCC Shout Out email to TBRHSC.PFCC@tbh.net and include the staff member’s name, department, and a brief description of what they did that deserves recognition.

Let’s celebrate the people who make this a truly patient and family centred organization!