October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Prevention and Screening Clinical Services invites staff to help raise awareness about the importance of breast screening.

Wear Pink Day on October 8. Show your support by wearing pink on October 8 and snapping a photo with your colleagues. Share your photos via email to lexie.williamson@tbh.net to help us celebrate across TBRHSC.

Book Your Mammogram Online. Eligible people, including staff, can now conveniently book their screening mammogram online at the Linda Buchan Centre.

Mirror Decals. Local businesses are getting involved by displaying breast screening reminder decals throughout the month of October. See if you can spot one!

Together, we can help spread awareness and encourage more people to make breast screening a priority.

Every person has a story, and listening to those stories can help change the way we understand substance use and addiction.

In a new series of educational videos, individuals share their personal experiences and perspectives on stigma, substance use, addiction, and health care. Their stories offer an important opportunity to listen, learn, and better understand how our words, actions, and assumptions can affect those seeking care.

These videos also honour those who have been lost to substance use and addiction-related harms and acknowledge the grief experienced by their families, friends, and loved ones. By sharing these experiences and perspectives, we can deepen our understanding of the impact of stigma and recognize the importance of approaching every person with compassion, dignity, and respect.

At Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, we recognize that stigma can create real barriers for patients and families. Outdated language, stereotypes, and misconceptions can influence how people are treated and whether they feel safe and supported when accessing care. By listening to and learning from people with lived and living experience, we can challenge these assumptions and help create a more compassionate, inclusive, and welcoming environment.

Developed as part of the Patient Experience pillar of Strategic Plan 2026 and our ongoing work to reduce stigma associated with substance use and addiction, these videos reflect our collective resolve to do better and to move forward with greater compassion, understanding, and respect for those seeking care.

We invite you to watch, listen to the stories and perspectives being shared, and reflect on how each of us can help reduce stigma and make a positive difference.

This week, we hear from Andrea Raynak:

For more stories visit bit.ly/confronting-stigma-TBRHSC

Every October, Canada celebrates Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to recognizing and honouring the achievements, contributions, and resilience of women and girls throughout the nation’s history.  

This month-long observance highlights the achievements of women in all areas of life, including politics, the arts, education, health care, and community leadership. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing work needed to achieve gender equality and create a more inclusive future for all. Women’s History Month also encourages Canadians to learn about the diverse experiences of women, including those from marginalized communities whose stories are often overlooked. By amplifying these voices, the month fosters a deeper understanding of how gender intersects with race, culture, and identity, and why inclusive approaches to equality are vital.  

During Women’s History Month, the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People is observed on October 4. On this day, communities across Canada gather to honour the lives of Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit people who have been taken by violence.

Women’s History Month is both a celebration and a call to action. It challenges us to acknowledge the past, confront the present, and shape a future where every woman and gender-diverse person can thrive in safety, dignity, and equality. 

To learn more about Women’s History Month, please go to: https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/womens-history-month.html  or https://canadianequality.ca/womens-history-month/

For over 25 years, Excellence Canada has been supporting Canada’s workplaces build healthier culture, and we continue to expand the Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month program. This year’s theme is all about taking a personalized approach to wellness to ultimately create a healthy lifestyle that feels authentic, and exciting.

By putting personal choice front and centre, we’re helping individuals and organizations own their wellness journeys. This year you’ll find enhanced support for managers and organizations in addition to great participant resources you’re accustomed to.

Visit healthyworkplacemonth.ca for more information and resources.

Staff throughout our Hospital wore orange shirts today as a display of remembrance, respect, and commitment to Reconciliation.

Orange Shirt Day honours Indian Residential School Survivors, the children who never made it home, and recognizes the ongoing impacts of the Residential School system on Indigenous Peoples, families, and communities.

As health care providers and staff, our participation is especially meaningful. The legacy of Residential Schools continues to affect Indigenous Peoples’ experiences with health care. Creating culturally safe health care environments begins with understanding this history and recognizing the responsibility we all share in building relationships based on respect, dignity, and trust.

We encourage everyone to take a few moments today to reflect on the meaning of this day and how people in our region have been, and continued to be, impacted.

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Media Release

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by releasing its third annual report detailing the Hospital’s ongoing responses to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

“We are pleased to share this year’s report, which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. This year, our focus is on increasing Indigenous representation and supporting Indigenous health professionals at every stage of their careers,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and Chief Executive Officer of TBRHSC and Chief Executive Officer of Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “As part of this work, we are ensuring all staff receive cultural safety training so that every patient, family, and team member feels respected, valued, and supported. Our progress is grounded in strong partnerships, accountability, and the invaluable guidance of Indigenous voices. While there is still work to be done, I look forward to bringing continued updates on this important work.”

This year’s report highlights TBRHSC’s focus on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action #23, which calls for increased recruitment and retention of Indigenous professionals in health care and cultural safety training for all health care professionals.

“Call to Action #23 is about more than workforce numbers. It challenges us to imagine the health care system we want to build. It means asking who is represented, whose voices are valued, and ensuring Indigenous staff have opportunities for meaningful, lasting careers at our Hospital,” said Dr. Miranda Lesperance, Vice President, Indigenous Collaboration, Equity and Inclusion at TBRHSC. “Our goal is a culture where every staff member is prepared to provide Indigenous patients and families with care that is safe, respectful, and free from racism or discrimination.”

To honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, TBRHSC’s Miskwaa Biidaaban department (Indigenous Collaboration) organized a series of events throughout September. These initiatives included an opportunity for staff to hear the firsthand experiences of Indian Residential School Survivor, Elder Peter Sackaney. Hearing directly from a St. Anne’s Residential School Survivor provided a rare and valuable opportunity to listen, learn and engage. To mark the launch of the report and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, staff were encouraged to wear orange shirts to honour Survivors and remember those who never made it home.

“Advancing Reconciliation at our Hospital means fostering inclusion, equity, and compassion in all that we do”, said Christine Bates, TBRHSC Board Chair. “We know Indigenous Peoples can face unique barriers accessing health care and we are committed to removing these obstacles and supporting cultural safety. Our latest report highlights the progress we’ve made and our ongoing dedication to this important work.”

To read the report, click here.

Hello, Boozhoo, Bonjour.

I bring you this month’s Blog on a significant day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. For our Hospital it is more than just a moment or day to reflect. It represents as a reminder of our work to date and the work to come on providing culturally safe, respectful care for Indigenous patients and families across Northwestern Ontario. This year our annual Truth and Reconciliation report is focused on Call to Action #23 a call for increasing the number of Indigenous professionals working in health care and ensuring cultural competency training for all health professionals. It is a strong account of the work done here over the past year and signifies our commitment. I invite you to read the report and reflect on what it asks of us as individuals and as an organization serving communities across this region.

As most of you know, capacity and flow pressures were significant through the month. Many of you felt that in the Emergency Department, on inpatient units, across our diagnostic departments, and across every area affected by downstream pressures. We thought we were ahead of the curve as July and August showed substantial improvements with our metrics on time to inpatient bed and physician initial assessment. This great progress is not lost, and the team-driven work will guide our planning as we approach our upcoming respiratory and influenza season. Please know that the earlier gains were real and recognized.  

The Transitional Care Unit will close on October 22 and transition to long-term care under the leadership of St. Joseph’s Care Group. Occupancy at the unit is currently below 50 per cent and we expect the closure to proceed on schedule. I have been clear about my concerns regarding the impact of this change on capacity and patient flow across our region. Our discussions with Ontario Health remain active and we are working together to identify supports that will help maintain patient flow. I will continue to keep you informed as we progress with this transition.

On September 28th, Special Constables have been added within the Emergency Department to support the safety and well-being of staff, patients and caregivers. Through partnership with Thunder Bay Police Services, this pilot project will complement our existing work on preventing workplace violence and enhancing the safety and well-being of the environment for all.  

The Meditech Expanse Fair was held on September 25 and I was pleased to see so many staff and professional staff attending to check out the new look and functions of the new system. I witnessed many “aha” moments as participants explored the new system and the elements of how the flow of information will support their work for improved patient care. It is exciting yet difficult, as any change of this scale is. If you were able to attend, I hope the fair provided you a positive first look at what is coming.

Strategic Plan engagement continues, with opportunities for both staff and members of our community to share their perspectives. Here at the Hospital, you can still have your say by scanning one of the QR codes posted throughout the building to complete the survey, or by stopping by our onsite booth. Members of the public can also share their feedback through our online survey. The questions remain the same: What should we keep doing? What should we start doing? And what should we stop doing? There is still time to share your perspective and help shape our next Strategic Plan.

I encourage you to take part in the many activities happening over the next month within our Hospital, Research Institute and the healthcare community as a whole. Together, we are all making a difference on the care provided in our community. Thank you for taking the time to read this Blog and staying informed about some of the key activities that matter.

I welcome any feedback about this blog or any other topics you would like to discuss. You can reach me at rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net. I appreciate hearing from you

The iCare Impact Awards program is open to all employees, professional staff, Patient Family Advisors, and volunteers of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. It provides a forum for peer-to-peer recognition of positive impacts on our patients and their families.

Sodexo will be serving beef stew with a side of cheese or plain bannock, starting today at 11:00 a.m.
Please note, stew will be served while supplies last.