Sent on behalf of Trisha Bingham, Manager, Employee Engagement, Human Resources and Organizational Development

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Please join us in congratulating Sharen Howarth on her upcoming retirement!

Sharen started with McKellar Hospital on May 11, 1983, in Financial Services, where she worked for 5 years before transferring to Human Resources in June of 1988. She has worked is various areas of Human Resources starting out as a Personnel Assistant, working as a Benefits Officer and being promoted to her current role of Senior Human Resources Consultant.

Throughout her time with us, Sharen has seen many changes, and has been involved in many initiatives including leading the implementation of the HRIS system which transformed many of the transactional processes within the department. She is sought after for her expertise in collective bargaining, pay equity and conflict resolution, and finds joy in leading employee recognition activities. In addition, she has volunteered her time each year to organize our portfolio’s annual Christmas hamper donation in support of your community.

Sharen’s organization skills, attention to detail, and ability to develop new ideas; coupled with her knowledge and experience makes her highly valued amongst leaders. This is demonstrated through her long standing relationships with colleagues and her exemplary commitment to this organization and staff. She has been a go-to person throughout her tenure at the Hospital, an outstanding member of our team for 38 years, a mentor to many of us and most importantly, a friend.

As Sharen moves into retirement she plans to spend her time enjoying the outdoors, caring for her horses, riding, and camping, as well as spending time with family, especially her grandchildren who light up her face whenever she speaks of them. True to form in her commitment to our Hospital, she has already agreed to return on a part-time basis to cover a leave of absence.

We would like to thank Sharen for her many years of service and dedication to the staff of our Hospital. Sharen’s official last day will be September 30, 2021. Please join us in wishing Sharen all the best in her retirement. Congratulations Sharen!

As you may be aware, the federal government recently passed legislation to make September 30th a federal statutory holiday in observance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

All federally regulated workplaces (such as the federal government, banks, post offices, etc.) will be closed on September 30th in order to observe this new holiday. As a result of these closures, all employees will be paid one day earlier on Wednesday, September 29th instead of the regularly scheduled pay day of Thursday, September 30th.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Iorianni at 684-6917 or by email at ioriannm@tbh.net.

Starting today the Foundation will be regularly shining the spotlight on Employee Donors!

Today we’re featuring Rob from Information Technology. Not only is Rob a longtime Employee Donor (for over 23 years!) but he’s also the Chair of our Employee Giving Committee.

I donate to the Employee Giving Program to support my co-workers who provide front line care with the purchase of new equipment. I hope this helps improve patient care because someday it may be a family member or friend on the receiving end of it.

Thank you, Rob!

Employee Donors are Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre staff who donate through payroll deductions, helping to fund Hospital equipment in the area that means the most to them. Their dedication to better local healthcare is shown in both the hard work they do and their donations.

If you’re a Hospital employee you can sign up, too! Learn more at www.healthsciencesfoundation.ca/imin

Cancer screening is important for early detection of cancer but it can be nerve-racking if you don’t know what to expect. To help prepare patients for their cancer screening journey, Prevention and Screening Clinical Services has developed educational videos for each of the three organized screening programs in Ontario.

Whether the patient’s appointment is with their primary care provider or with the Screen for Life Coach when it visits their community, these videos will help patients learn what to expect before, during and after their breast, cervical or colon cancer screening appointment. The videos are available in both English and Ojibway and can be viewed by visiting

https://tbrhsc.net/sflmedia/

Hosted by the Central South Regional Stroke Network

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This event will be offered in 2 parts: 

Pre-recorded Webinar: (3 hours)
Available from Thursday October 4^th to Thursday October 19^th

Live Interactive Webinar:
Thursday, October 19th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, participants will:

• Understand cognition with the cognitive framework
• Be able to apply cognition knowledge to assessment and intervention of own profession
• Understand common changes in perception after stroke
• Understand the impact of changed perception on own practice

Click here for the event page and to register

We hope you will join us for this exciting event! Deadline to register: Monday, October 18th at 4:30 pm (EDT). Please note: $50 fee is required to be paid at time of registration and an email confirmation will be sent to you upon successful registration. Please share this education opportunity with your colleagues. To register, click here.

Martina Nuttall and Kristine Lake discussed the “ins and outs” of burnout. You can view a recording of their presentation here:

https://youtu.be/zv9Iz7SkxC8

You can also join their healthy get-together session on September 14th from 7-8pm at https://tbh.net/hgt

There are currently no Wheelchairs or blue STAXI wheelchairs in the Main Lobby for patients, forcing patients to wait until a chair is returned before they can get to their appointments in the hospital.

If you see any wheelchairs in your unit/department/an in-patient room, or anywhere in the hospital or the grounds, please see that it is returned to the Main Lobby as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.