Shared on behalf of Ashley Dell, Manager, Housekeeping
We would like to take this opportunity to announce that John Horvath from our Housekeeping Department will be retiring. John joined our team in 2009 and became a full-time member in 2017, primarily contributing to the Lab Department.
Throughout his tenure, John has been known for his commitment to cleanliness, attention to detail, and friendly demeanor. His hard work and reliability have been instrumental in maintaining the high standards of our facility.
John’s last day with us will be Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Please join us in the staff lounge (located next to the Housekeeping Office) any time after 5:30 pm on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 to wish him well on the next chapter of his life.
When babies are born early or have difficulties after birth, they go to a special nursery at the TBRHSC called the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU. Having a baby in the NICU can be overwhelming and scary. Our specialized team at the NICU provides state of the art care to newborns at our hospital. Our team of nurses, respiratory therapists, and pediatricians have special training to make sure that your baby gets the care they need in a safe and welcoming environment. They work closely with larger centres, like London Health Sciences Centre, to ensure that our care is the best that it can be. If needed transport teams come from London Health Sciences to transport babies safely and efficiently if they require higher levels of care beyond what we can provide. Our team works hard to make sure you and your baby feel cared for and safe during your hospital stay.
Using food neutral language can help improve a child’s relationship with food and their body. Shifting to food neutral language includes avoiding restricting foods and diet talk while allowing all foods to fit into your child’s eating pattern. With food neutrality, all foods have the same moral value and are not labeled as “good” or “bad”. Children may feel guilt or shame about eating (or not eating) certain foods when they are labeled. Food neutrality removes judgment from the food itself as well as judgment about oneself for eating it.
For more resources on healthy living or to learn more about TBRHSC’s Paediatric Healthy Living Program, please visit our website at bit.ly/Paediatric-Healthy-Living-Program
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) presents “Ask an Expert”, a series where team members from our Bariatric Centre of Excellence answer questions they commonly encounter. For more information on our Regional Bariatric Care Centre, please visit bit.ly/TBRHSC-RBCC. This month’s question is answered by Katelyn Methot, Registered Kinesiologist.
Bariatric surgery procedures offered at TBRHSC
Bariatric surgery is a TOOL to assist/improve weight related health conditions and overall quality of life.
Sleeve Gastrectomy – Surgeons create a small stomach shaped like a banana-sized vertical “sleeve”. The remainder of the stomach is permanently removed from the body. There are no changes to the intestine.
Gastric Bypass – Surgeons create a small stomach pouch using the top part of the stomach. A piece of the small intestine is cut, moved, and attached directly to the new small stomach pouch. The remaining stomach and part of the small intestine is bypassed (no food travels through) – however the stomach continues to make gastric juice and help with digestion.Patients can expect to lose 20%-30% of their total body weight within the first 2 years after surgery
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) and Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI) are pleased to report back to the community on the progress of our joint Strategic Plan 2026.
Strategic Plan 2026 focuses on five pillars that build on a philosophy of Patients at the centre of everything we do. These pillars are: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Patient Experience; Staff Experience; Research, Innovation and Learning, and Sustainable Future.
For the second year, we have made significant progress on all of our strategic priorities that are represented across all of our strategic pillars.
Each year, we choose to focus in on one of the strategic pillars and provide a closer look at some of the initiatives under the pillar that TBRHSC and TBRHRI have undertaken to advance the overall Strategic Plan 2026; with an ultimate goal to continue to improve health care in Northwestern Ontario. This year, we are highlighting the strategic pillar of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and have chosen to showcase some of our initiatives that foster a culturally safe environment where all patients, families and staff feel like they belong.
“To ensure we provide the best possible health care experience, we are strengthening our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion,” says Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO at TBRHSC and CEO at TBRHRI. “We are creating a more culturally safe and compassionate environment — to ensure equity for all throughout our Hospital and Health Research Institute.”
Initiatives to support this commitment include the addition of Indigenous Care Coordinators to help patients navigate the health care system; mandatory cultural safety and equity, diversity, and inclusion training for all staff; and enhancements to our Hospital environment to create a more welcoming space.
“Prioritizing equity, diversity and inclusion supports a positive experience, not only patients and their families but also for our staff,” says Gord Wickham, Board Chair for TBRHSC. “These initiatives are just the beginning; we are continually building an environment to enable our vision of Exceptional care for every patient, every time.”
“Research and innovation are major contributors to providing quality, equitable health care and what we do is driven by the needs of patients in our unique region,” comments Dr. Andrew Dean, Board Chair for TBRHRI. “Collaboration is vital in a place like Northwestern Ontario with a vast geography and unique cultures. Our incredible team of researchers recognize the value of finding and developing new innovations to address local and regional challenges.”
View the Year Two Progress Report through the 2023-24 TBRHSC Annual Report here or the 2023-24 TBRHRI Annual Report here.
View the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion video here.
On June 6th, Sodexo Canada hosted a special event at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with our Indigenous Ambassador, Chef Paul Natrall.
Guests at “A Taste of Both Worlds” were treated to a tasting of exquisite indigenous-inspired dishes. Parmesan Bannock Croustini with Fire Roasted Salsa, Sumac Spiced Duck Tostada, Cranberry Tart, and delightful Mixed Grill Grazing Stations, were crafted by our team at the hospital.
The event was a sensory feast, enhanced by the rhythm of Indigenous drummers, the grace of traditional dancers, and the wisdom of elders and knowledge keepers.
Starting in June, Information Technology staff will begin our annual device replacements. Numbers that fall below the inventory numbers (yellow tag) noted below are up for replacement:
TBRHSC – less than H39088
SJCG – less than S39800
Due to the volume of replacements to be done, we are unable to provide an exact date/time that your device will be replaced. Replacement of devices can occur at any time (including weekends), please ensure your desk is clear near your device. IT will in best efforts alert managers of the departments receiving replacement 1 week before scheduled.
We have a number of staff working from home with corporate devices, if you have a device at home up for replacement, IT will be in contact with you to schedule drop off/pick up of old and new devices at the hospital site.
Information Technology is not responsible for any information that is stored locally; please ensure all information stored is moved to your network drive. Assistance can be found in our Help Desk – Self Service.
Examples of items stored locally:
Documents stored on the C:\ Drive
Electronic “Sticky Notes”
Internet Favourites
If a staff member has 2 devices, the Device Configuration Policy (see IS-SUP-068-S – Employee Device Configurations) will be followed, it can be found on the Intranet.
If there are any questions or concerns please contact us by email: Domenic Falcetta or Luke Perrier.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Outlook training, whether you popped into one of our classroom sessions, dropped by one of our information booths or completed the online training.
For those of you who completed the online training, we entered your name into a draw for some prizes donated by our vendors. The winners for Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre are:
Alison Donovan
Coffee Tumbler – OpenText
Stephanie Buchanan
32” Monitor – Dell
Liana Iachetta
$50 Gift Card for Tim Hortons – Teleco
Courtney Rizutto
Gift Basket – Tbaytel
Just a reminder, training sessions are ongoing until the end of June. You can also visit our online training website, Outlook hub: https://outlookhub.tbh.net.
We extend our sincere gratitude for your patience, understanding, and dedicated efforts in embracing this new system. Your commitment to learning has been truly inspiring.
Have you checked out the Active Commute Challenge leaderboard? It’s not too late to join our community in promoting sustainable active transportation. Not only will you feel refreshed, energized and ready to tackle anything, you’ll also have the chance to win some pretty amazing prizes!
