It’s Heart Failure Awareness Week, and we’re highlighting staff at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre who play a vital role in caring for patients who are living with heart failure. Today, we’re sharing some Q&A with Nicole Strong, a Registered Dietitian in the Congestive Heart Failure Telehomecare Program and the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

Please describe your role for us.

Whether I meet with client’s virtually, or in person, I always ensure to check-in on their overall health and well-being. I do my best to touch on each individual’s level of stress and coping techniques, as well as inquiring about hobbies and interests. I encourage a positive relationship between clients and their food, and work with them to approach any lifestyle and/or dietary changes in a reasonable manner that fits into their unique lifestyle. As a professional I also ensure that I take care of myself by staying hydrated, eating healthy, taking my breaks, and staying active.

What does it take to be a Registered Dietitian in the Congestive Heart Failure Telehomecare Program and Cardiac Rehab?

Everyone’s lifestyle and how their heart failure symptoms present may be different. It takes creativity to learn about a client’s lifestyle and how nutrition can support them to improve their overall health.

What is unique about your role?

Quality nutrition is vital to our cardiovascular health. One unique aspect of being the Dietitian on our team is the opportunity to learn about our client needs and developing programs and resources to meet those needs. I enjoy the challenge of seeking out and creating handouts, developing new cooking classes and hands-on learning experiences, meeting with individuals in-person and over the phone, as well as offering virtual presentations.

What inspired you to work with heart failure patients?

It is an area that affects a large part of our population and there are often many health conditions involved for these individuals. I enjoy the challenge of helping others learn about nutrition and healthy eating specific to their conditions. I enjoy helping clients build the confidence to apply what they learn to improve their overall health.

How does your role impact patient care?

As a Dietitian, I can help support people to meet their nutrition needs, identify areas of focus to help improve their symptoms and help them learn how healthy eating can fit into their lifestyle. Often this will include increasing confidence and reducing stress that can come with learning how to manage many health conditions at once.

On the concept of practice what you preach, do you have any personal tips on how to stay heart healthy?

Staying hydrated, eating a well-balanced diet, taking time for yourself and family/friends, as well as staying active are all important factors in reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease. Every small healthy lifestyle change can make a big difference.

Any final thoughts?

It doesn’t hurt to add a little extra vegetable to a dish – we often don’t get enough.

Increase your social support. Your social support network can consist of family, friends, and peers. High quality, positive social support can enhance resilience to stress, help protect against developing trauma-related disorders, and reduce medical morbidity and mortality.

Exercise regularly. Exercise is good for both your body and your mental health. Try to get 15 to 30 minutes of exercise daily. Exercise can help to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by:

• Increasing neurotransmitter activity
• Improving self-esteem
• Releasing stored energy
• Providing a distraction or coping mechanism
• Creating opportunities for social interaction

It’s Heart Failure Awareness Week, and we’re highlighting staff at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre who play a vital role in caring for patients who are living with heart failure. Today, we’re sharing some Q&A with Rajesh Talpade, a Congestive Heart Failure Nurse Practitioner Navigator in our Internal Medicine Clinic.

Please describe your role for us.

As the Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Nurse Practitioner (NP) Navigator, my main role is to engage with heart failure patients within the hospital setting to help them better understand and manage their chronic condition. I also refer patients to our out-patient Congestive Heart Failure Telehomecare monitoring program, to continue with empowering them to better manage their condition from home

What does it take to be a CHF NP Navigator in the Internal Medicine Clinic?

As a CHF NP Navigator, within the Internal Medicine Clinic, I am involved with a lot of teaching, educating and bringing together all the available resources both in hospital and in the community that will benefit the patient and better manage their heart failure.

What is unique about your role?

The uniqueness of my role would be that I have a “facilitator” role within the hospital to provide patient and family centered care for this patient demographic that I see.

What inspired you to work in the Internal Medicine Clinic and Cardiac Care?

Prior to my role as an NP, I have been an Emergency Department Registered Nurse for 10 years, and have always had an interest in cardiology.

How does your role impact patient care?

My role as the CHF NP Navigator empowers patients to better understand and manage their condition while in hospital. Timely resources provided to patients while in hospital has the potential to reduce their length of stay and have better patient outcomes.

On the concept of practice what you preach, do you have any personal tips on how to stay heart healthy?

I watch what I eat and exercise daily.

Any final thoughts?

I hope to expand the NP Navigator role further within the hospital setting, in the near future as we work towards expanding our Telehomecare program within the region of Northwestern Ontario.

Our Hospital is taking part in Accreditation Canada’s Qmentum accreditation program, which will culminate with an on-site survey scheduled for May 2022. Accreditation is a continuous quality improvement process; it helps our organization identify what we are doing well and where we need to focus our improvement efforts. Accreditation involves everyone at our Hospital. We all play a role in delivering the highest standards of care to our patients, residents, and families — each and every day. Health care accreditation through the Qmentum program is an ongoing process of assessing health care organizations against standards of excellence to identify what is being done well and what needs to be improved. It is a four year cycle with completion of key requirements leading up to the on-site survey. Staff are encouraged to get involved with the accreditation process this month by providing their feedback online.

Are you a clinical staff member?
Go to https://www3.accreditation.ca/OrgInstrument to complete the Canadian Patient Safety Culture Survey Tool. Use the organization code: THUBA and Password: 2C096CF8

You are all key players in Accreditation. The survey takes only 5 minutes to complete, is completely anonymous and an opportunity to have your voice heard. The survey portal closes on Friday, May 7th.

If you have completed the survey, you also have the option to complete an additional survey for a chance to participate in the weekly prize draws, which include $10 Robins Gift Cards and a Grand Prize of a $25 Chapters Gift Card. Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HYL2XZD (before May 7th, 2021)

Week 5 winner: Rose Harding, Diagnostic Imaging

For more information, or to claim your prize, please contact Chitra Jacob, Manager, Quality and Risk Management at jacobc@tbh.net

Sent on behalf of Infection Prevention & Control

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Please be advised that the COVID-19 outbreak declared March 30, 2021 on Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s 2B Medical Inpatient Unit is over. As of May 1, 2021, all control measures put in place were discontinued. Thank you to everyone who assisted in ending hospital acquired transmission on this unit.

As always, our number one priority is the safety of patients and their families, staff and visitors. 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.

Declutter your home. Studies have shown a link between clutter and cortisol, our body’s main stress hormone. When there is more clutter, you feel more stressed. Start decluttering one step at a time. Once your home is decluttered, you will feel a greater sense of peace in your home.

Enhancing Virtual Heart Failure Care: practical strategies, tips, and tools to increase access and improve quality of care.
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
1:00 – 2:00 PM EDT
To register for this English webinar, click here. For more information click here.

CCCN/CHFS Joint Webinar: Celebrating Heart Failure Awareness Week
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
3:00 PM EDT
To register for this English webinar, contact Zoë Furtner at: zoe@cccn.ca. For more information, click here.

SQIC: L’insuffisance cardiaque: et si vous repreniez votre cceur en main?
Thursday, May 6, 2021
6:30 PM EDT
To register for this French webinar, click here. For more information, click here.

HeartLife Day E3 @ Heart Failure Update 2021
Thursday, May 6, 2021
9:00 AM PST
To register for this English webinar, click here. For more information, click here.


Heart Failure Update 2021 Virtual
May 7-8, 2021
Sessions are available in French and English. To register and more information, click here.

It’s Heart Failure Awareness Week, and we’re highlighting staff at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre who play a vital role in caring for patients who are living with heart failure. Today, we’re sharing some Q&A with Jean Hamilton, a Booking Clerk who provides support for our Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Telehomecare Program.

What does it take to be a Clerk in the CHF Telehomecare Program?

You have to be polite and courteous to all patients, in person and on the telephone. Our patients are wonderful to talk with as they are always appreciative to have the appointment and receive the call from me. 

What is unique about your role?

I have to balance the needs of the patients we serve and be able to arrange an appointment for them in a timely manner. Being highly organized is an essential part of this role.

What inspired you to work in the CHP Telehomecare Program? 

The opportunity to help patients get access to the care they require.

How does your role impact patient care?

I make sure all proper information is given to the patient on the phone and also in an appointment letter. It is important to the patient to have all the information they require such as appointment time, location and who will be seeing them.

On the concept of practice what you preach, do you have any personal tips on how to stay heart healthy?

I stay heart healthy by walking on my treadmill at home and by taking my dog for walks. I also enjoy gardening and doing yard work, which keeps me moving. One of my passions is cooking, especially when it comes to experimenting with healthy recipes. I enjoy hosting gatherings with people and look forward to the day that I can do that again. Until then, my husband is the taste tester of all of my healthy recipes.

Any final thoughts?

I feel that during this pandemic, I provide a kind voice to the patients and normalize the things they stress about. I reassure them that we will get through this in time and that they are doing well by taking care of their own heart.