Shared on behalf of Human Resources and Organizational Development

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Our Hospital’s 2025 Health and Wellness Calendars are here!

The calendar features familiar faces from our staff, professional personnel, and volunteers, highlighting their commitment to health and well-being. We invite you to explore the nutritious and delicious recipes showcased each month.

If your department has not yet received the calendars or if you require extra, please contact Kim Myros at kimberly.myros@tbh.net.

Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control

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An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared on 2B as of Thursday January 9, 2025. All restrictions are in place. Outbreak # 2262-2025-00004.

Please share this information with the appropriate staff. 

As always, our number one priority is the safety of patients and their families, staff and visitors. All patients identified as having an exposure to this outbreak will require isolation with appropriate additional precautions. 

The department of Infection Prevention and Control encourages everyone to keep applying the routine practices of hand hygiene, proper use of PPE, equipment cleaning, and the appropriate admission screening of all patients. Please set an example for staff and students and assist us by maintaining compliance and due diligence.

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

For OPSEU, OPSEU Maintenance, SEIU and Non-Union Employees

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A Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) is a health and dental benefit administration feature that can be part of a traditional or flexible benefits plan.

Many plan members use this benefit to top up what their standard benefits cover to pay for outstanding amounts, deductibles or dispensing fees. For example, if a standard benefit covers 80% of an eligible expense, the HCSA may cover the remaining 20%. Plan members may also use a HCSA to cover expenses after they go over and above the maximum provided by their standard benefit plan. For example, the current plan offers $400 per year for massage therapy, the costs that go over the maximum may qualify for coverage using HCSA funds. The HCSA also covers medical expenses that are not covered under the current plan such as, medically necessary wigs and special equipment for persons with disabilities. The Canada Revenue Agency maintains a guide and list of medical expenses that are allowable under the HCSA.

Employees with family coverage can claim their own expenses and their spouse/dependent(s) expenses against the HCSA. Employees with single coverage can only claim their own expenses against the HCSA.

At this time only OPSEU, OPSEU Maintenance, and SEIU employees have this benefit as awarded through recent negotiations.

Please see the below document from Green Shield on how to submit a claim for your HCSA. If you have any questions, please reach out to Human Resources at TBRHSC.HumanResources@tbh.net.

We’re celebrating 20 years of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) by taking a trip down memory lane to revisit some of our most significant milestones.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, donors to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, community members and partners in health who have played a vital role in building exceptional healthcare for patients and families in Northwestern Ontario.

This week, we’re remembering 📅 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 (📸)

1) TBRHSC celebrated 14 successful years of Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC) with the return of the annual Sharing and Caring Together Exhibition.

2) Ornge, Ontario’s provider of air ambulance and critical care transport services, and TBRHSC, announced northern Ontario’s first ‘Blood on Board’ program.

3) TBRHSC joined St. Joseph’s Care Group in offering the Wake the Giant Virtual Indigenous Culture and Inclusivity Training for their employees.

Visit www.tbrhsc.net/20years for more milestones.

Shared on behalf of Jennifer Madahbee, Manager, Strategy & Performance

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I am pleased to welcome Erin Kilar-Bearman to the Strategy and Performance department as a temporary Performance Improvement Consultant, effective January 13th.

Erin will be with our team for one year. Erin comes to our team from the Information Technology Administrative Assistant role, where she has spent the past year providing support to the Informatics department. She holds a Masters of Science in Management, an Honours Bachelor of Commerce and is actively working on obtaining her Project Management Professional designation. Erin has experience working closely with stakeholders to meet project deliverables, achieve strategic business goals by utilizing a systems thinking approach, and leading business process improvement initiatives. 

Erin brings diverse experience, education and skills that will be a great asset to the team as we move forward with the Strategic Plan 2026. 

Please join me in congratulating Erin on her new role!

As part of our commitment to keeping staff engaged and informed on our Strategic Plan 2026, Strategy and Performance is sharing updates in alignment with the identified priorities: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Patient Experience, Staff Experience and Research, Innovation, & Learning.

The January 8, Operational Updates and Strategic Planning Meeting featured an update on Staff Experience – Professional Development presented by Jeannine Verdenik, Vice President, People and Culture and Trisha Gibson, Manager, Human Resources and Organizational Development.

Visit the Strategic Plan 2026 page on the Hospital’s corporate intranet, where these presentations, along with other resources can be found.

Shared on behalf of Andrea Raynak, Director, Nursing Practice & Learning

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As we reflect on 2024, I’m thrilled to share a significant milestone achieved by the R.E.F.S. team. Through their innovative education initiative, we engaged an incredible 5,224 staff members!

To celebrate this remarkable success and the collaboration that made it possible, we’re planning special events in February. Stay tuned for more details as we come together to recognize this achievement.

Looking ahead, the R.E.F.S. education series for January will focus on the Perioperative Pathway.

Please print and display the attached poster, and encourage your teams to attend and participate in this valuable learning experience.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to our staff’s professional growth.