All employee are automatically entered into the Big Prize draw to win. Human Resources will add an extra entry for participation in each of the following initiatives: iCare Impact Awards nominees and nominators, Long-Service recipients, and flu vaccine participants.
The winner will be announced on Friday, March 6.
Shared on behalf of Jennifer Pugliese; CISO / NW Regional Security Operations Centre; Director / Information Technology (Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre / St. Joseph’s Care Group)
I’m pleased to announce that Mikael Mintenko has joined our team as Manager, Regional IT Security.
With over 20 years of experience in IT leadership, cybersecurity, and privacy, Mikael brings expertise from roles in both public and private sectors.
He has led major initiatives in risk management, cloud security, and helped strengthen organizational practices to meet industry standards. Mikael holds CCSP, SSCP, and CIPM designations and is a Confederation College graduate.
Please join me in welcoming Mikael as he helps advance our regional cybersecurity strategy, supports IT security operations across our region and helps enhance the security of the systems we rely on every day.
Join us in celebrating Employee Recognition Week (ERW) with our 2026 trivia. All employees are encouraged to participate for a chance to test your knowledge about our workplace and win exciting prizes. New trivia questions will be posted each day. Submit your answers using the online submission form.
We understand that the future state can be difficult to envision. At this stage our test environment is our build environment. This is normal in large, multi-organization implementations as even limited “hands-on” access can create unintended issues. When users explore or “play” in a shared test environment, it can disrupt other teams’ work or create confusion about what is accurate or final.
To avoid this, implementations often limit open access and rely on structured walkthroughs facilitated by a Change Specialist, ensuring the environment remains stable and reliable for everyone. Hands on access will be available to those who participate in integrated system testing, parallel testing, and super user training.
These activities will commence in September 2026.
A coordinated training plan is being developed by Training Leads at both Bridge Northwest and ONE HITS.
Super Users and Train-the-Trainer staff are expected to be identified throughout Summer of 2026 and then trained in Fall of 2026.
Broader staff training will begin in early 2027 ahead of Go-Live.
Training will include a mix of virtual, and in-person sessions as well as written reference materials.
That is the expectation in many cases. SMEs are well positioned to become “Super Users” because of their involvement and knowledge.
This will depend on individual interest, availability, and local resourcing decisions. If you’re interested, letting your manager know early is encouraged!
Super Users Definition: A trained departmental expert who provides frontline support, workflow guidance, and peer-to-peer assistance before, during, and after Go-Live.
This happens, especially as work evolves. It is never too late to add or change SMEs or bring in additional expertise. If representation feels off, your Working Group Lead and Change Specialists can help adjust participation to better match the work.
The best place to start is the Q&A log in your working group. Your Working Group Leads or Change Specialists can help direct concerns related to other working groups.
If you are not part of a working group, have a local concern, or are not sure where to turn, you can ask your Change Specialist or Expense Lead for advice.
All issues that are raised, through any method, are reviewed by the appropriate teams to understand the scope and impact of the concern and deal with it accordingly.
Clinicians will continue to use familiar devices such as desktop computers, workstations on wheels, and laptops.
New devices will be added where needed, including barcode scanners to support medication and blood product administration.
Additional devices added for Physicians and other specific roles consist of Dual Monitors and Microphones for Front End Dictation.
Wall Mounted computers with barcode scanners will be installed for various use cases. Wall mounts will flatten to the wall or on an articulating arm, so computers can be positioned as required.
Off-site access to the system will continue to be available through Citrix. All Organizations, including their local IT teams, leadership, and clinicians are being engaged to ensure there are enough appropriate devices to support the safe and effective use of Expanse.
This change supports patient safety, accuracy, and timely care by reducing hand-offs, transcription errors, and delays. It also aligns with modern clinical practice and accreditation standards used across Canada. This does not remove the important role of clerical and support staff; it simply means these roles will shift toward other tasks that add value to units and departments.
A working group is currently reviewing what dictation tools will be available within Expanse.
These options are being assessed to support different clinical workflows and documentation needs, including options for front-end dictation and exploring AI scribes. Information about available tools and how they will be used will be shared as decisions are finalized. Training and support will be provided for all dictation users as new options become available.
The overall goal is to use direct provider order entry whenever possible, as it improves accuracy, reduces delays, and supports patient safety. However, verbal orders will still be allowed with limited and clearly defined use.
Verbal orders are intended for urgent or exceptional situations (for example, codes or when a provider cannot reasonably enter the order themselves). Providers will then be required to sign off on the order in the system at the first available opportunity.
Yes. Teams will continue to have the ability to use paper charting in trauma or other high-acuity situations where immediate clinical care must take priority.
These workflows are carefully reviewed to ensure patient safety, clinical efficiency, and alignment with best practices.
Clear guidance will be provided when paper documentation is appropriate and how it will be reconciled in the system afterward.
Training will support teams using the right approach during these high-pressure scenarios.
Yes, clinicians will be able to view patient information from Northwest partner hospitals, which includes all 12 hospital organizations in the Northwest region. Some information may remain location-specific and only accessible to users at a particular site, depending on workflow, privacy, or operational requirements.
For care provided outside the Northwest region, work is underway using Meditech’s data-sharing platform, Traverse Exchange, which allows information to be shared between hospitals using Meditech as well as other systems such as Epic, Cerner, and PointClickCare. Ongoing work is focused on determining what external data will be available to Northwest clinicians and how it will be presented and used in clinical care.
All Clinicians will continue to have access to the ConnectingOntario ClinicalViewer for patient information.
A limited amount of clinically relevant information from the current Meditech system, such as allergies, recent laboratory results, and other key patient data, will migrate into Expanse.
This ensures that clinicians have access to the most critical relevant information to support safe care at Go-Live. Remaining historical information will continue to be available through a link, allowing clinicians to quickly and easily access older records when needed. Guidance will be provided on what data will be migrated and how to access historical information in Expanse.
Expanse is planned to interface with external systems as they do today. Interface planning is underway, and integrations are being reviewed and prioritized based on clinical need, readiness, and technical feasibility.
All existing interfaces will be available at Go-Live, and some additional integrations will be implemented as part of Go-Live and ongoing optimization.
If you have questions about specific integrations, please reach out to a Change Specialist for more information.
Yes, if they have appropriate access and a clinical reason to do so.
Results and reports generated by the system will continue to be distributed to primary care providers with read-only access.
We are working with several community and primary care organizations on expanded access to Expanse as part of the scope of the Program.
Yes, there will be a patient portal.
Implementation of the Patient Portal is planned for post Go-Live. This will ensure there is enough meaningful data in the Expanse system for the portal to be useful to patients and their families.
You can support coworkers by listening and acknowledging their concerns, without trying to convince them the change is “good”. Validating how disruptive the change feels often reduces frustration more than explanations do.
When helpful,
Meditech Expanse includes emerging AI-enabled and automation features, but their use will be introduced thoughtfully and in a controlled way. Any AI functionality is intended to support clinical decision-making, documentation, and workflow efficiency, not replace clinical judgment.
The AI features that are enabled will depend on technical readiness, local configuration, governance decisions, and privacy requirements. As these capabilities mature, they will be reviewed through appropriate clinical and governance processes before being introduced.
Clear communication and training will be provided before any AI-supported tools are made available to users.
Expanse will change how you do parts of your job and what tasks you perform, but not why you do it.
Many core responsibilities will stay the same, but workflows such as documentation, order entry, medication administration, and accessing patient information may look different or be more standardized across sites. Some tasks may take more time initially as you learn the system, but most will become more efficient once you are familiar with it.
The goal of Expanse is to support safer, more consistent care and better access to information across the region.
Training, support, and time to adapt will be built in to help you transition successfully.
It’s understandable to ask this.
While some current workflows function well, the existing system cannot support important safety requirements, regional integration, or new tools.
Organizations across the province that have already gone live report the transition is difficult – but ultimately beneficial, and they wouldn’t go back!
This is a long program and staying supported matters. Reaching out early, using local coordination approaches, and keeping open communication with Change Specialists, colleagues, and your local leadership will help sustainable momentum.
February is National Therapeutic Recreation Month! This is a time to celebrate the health care professionals that use research and therapeutic processes to assist patients in achieving their goals and highest quality of life.
The role of Therapeutic Recreation is to support and assist patients to develop and maintain healthy leisure lifestyle skills with the goal of community reintegration. Leisure skills can improve a person’s overall health, functional ability, and quality of life by enhancing their self-esteem, social skills, and independence.
In honor of this National Therapeutic Recreation Month, we would like to highlight some of the program Therapeutic Recreationists provide at our Hospital that leads to exceptional patient care. Thank you for all the work that you do!
Recreation Therapy in the Forensic Mental Health Unit at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre uses structured leisure and activity-based interventions to support recovery and rehabilitation for adults with serious mental illness involved in the justice system.
Working within an interdisciplinary team, Therapeutic Recreationists provide goal-oriented programs—such as art, physical activity, and skill-building groups—to enhance coping skills, emotional well-being, social functioning, and successful community reintegration.
Shared on behalf of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Steering Committee
On March 1, we recognize Zero Discrimination Day – an opportunity to promote inclusion, fairness, and equity in every part of life – especially in health care.
The day was first launched by the United Nations and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS in 2014 to highlight the stigma faced by people living with HIV. It has since grown into a movement to fight all forms of discrimination including those based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability status, health status, and other identities.
In health care, discrimination and stigma contribute to inequitable access to health care services, and disparities in health outcomes. Zero Discrimination Day reminds us of the importance of providing culturally safe, dignified, and patient-centred care for all patients and families; and fostering safe workplaces that are free from discrimination.
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Steering Committee, in collaboration with partners from EDI Strategic Plan projects, continues to move the needle forward on initiatives such as an EDI Toolkit, and the Black Health Action Plan, that seek to eliminate discrimination, and provide a safe, equitable environment for all patients and staff.
If you are interested in learning more about Zero Discrimination Day, please go to: https://roya.institute/blog/march-1-zero-discrimination-day-advancing-human-rights-for-all/3136.
As Heart Month comes to a close, we want to take one more opportunity to recognize the dedicated professionals of our Cardiovascular Services Team. Each member plays an essential role in ensuring that cardiac patients across Northwestern Ontario receive the exceptional, compassionate care they deserve.
This year, staff from Academic Affairs, Medical Affairs and Chief of Staff’s Office wore pink in support of Pink Shirt Day.
We remind all staff members be aware of their behavior towards their colleagues and take action to prevent and stop any instances of bullying. Thank you for your cooperation and support in creating a safe and respectful workplace for everyone.
Every year in Canada, Pink Shirt Day is observed on the last Wednesday in February to take a stand against bullying. This year, Pink Shirt Day takes place on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
The first Pink Shirt Day took place in 2007. It was inspired by the efforts of two Grade 12 students in Nova Scotia, who distributed pink shirts to all of the boys at their school in a show of solidarity for a grade 9 boy who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt.
Bullying includes behaviours such as physical aggression, verbal abuse, exclusion, or online harassment that are repeated; these behaviours humiliate, intimidate, cause physical and emotion harm, and traumatize the person who is being bullied. Over 75% of people say that they have experienced bullying. Youth who are bullied experience long-term impacts to their physical and mental health, including stress-related illnesses, low self-esteem, and suicidality.
To learn more about how to support youth who are being bullied, please visit BullyingCanada at: https://www.bullyingcanada.ca/
To learn more about Pink Shirt Day, please visit The CKNW Kids’ Fund’s Pink Shirt Day website at: https://www.pinkshirtday.ca/
This month’s Town Hall took place on Wednesday, February 25 via Microsoft Teams. See below for a video recording of the session and a copy of the presentation slides.
If you have questions you would like answered, please send them to TBRHSC.GroupNews@tbh.net and we will do our best to address them at a future Town Hall.
If you’d like to access a recording or presentation from a previous Town Hall, visit the archive.
Thank you for your commitment to staying informed and engaged.
Reflections From the Front Lines provides our health care professionals with an opportunity to share stories and experiences about their role in providing exceptional care for every patient, every time.
We feature these each month during our Town Hall — a virtual venue designed to keep staff, professional staff, volunteers and leaners informed about what’s happening at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute.
Check out our previous episodes below (or on the Hospital’s YouTube channel), and be sure to tune in to future Town Halls for more stories.