Shared on behalf of Ryan Sears, Director, Capital and Facility Services

---

Please be advised the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (at the 980 Oliver Road location only) will execute a planned impairment of its entire Overhead Paging System and Fire System on Thursday, December 18, 2025 for approximately four (4) hours – starting at 11:00 p.m. to facilitate project related work for the MDRD Renovation. 

Our Facilities and Security teams will be enacting and overseeing our Fire System Impairment and Fire Watch procedures, as included in the Fire Plan for our site. 

During this impairment, no Hot Work will be authorized. Further, any high risk work that could result in an elevated risk of fire, heat, or smoke should not be planned – please review this within your department and plan to discontinue high-risk activities (i.e. construction, repairs, hot showers, etc).  Should you observe activities that may be of concern during the impairment, contact your Supervisor or Manager to discuss. 

While the Hospital’s Overhead Paging System is out of service, alternate measures will be applied to notify the organization of Emergency Codes and Alerts. Staff will continue to activate all Codes using extension 55. Please see the attached policy for guidance.  

Key things to remember during an outage:

1. Regularly monitor email for emergency code and alert notices issued by Switchboard.
2. Respond to emergency codes and alerts through alternate communication measures, e.g., paging, radios, emails, runners, etc., as appropriate – and activate response as required.
3. Be vigilant in reviewing department activities during the period of fire system impairment.
4. Clinical leads are encouraged to collaborate with their teams to consider alternatives to paging patients back to units, such as collecting Patients’ mobile phone numbers.

Further, in event of fire during this impairment, please execute all steps as outlined in Code Red Policy (EMER-30) and your area sub plan.

Should you discover a fire – “REACT“: R – Remove persons in immediate danger; E – Ensure doors are closed to confine fire or smoke; A – Activate the fire alarm by pulling the nearest pull station; C– Call Switchboard at Ext 55 to report the location of the fire; T– Try to extinguish the fire if trained to do so or continue to evacuate.

The contractor for the fire system work is Troy Life & Fire Safety. The Building System Operator is onsite and reachable at cell number 807-629-7005. Further support will be provided by Security (684-6509) and the on call Facility Manager (cell number 807-629-3119) as required. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above, please contact Ryan Sears (Ryan.Sears@tbh.net)

On behalf of the Employee Giving Committee, Jenelle and Lindsay from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation will be visiting each department on December 16 at 1:00 p.m. to welcome new Employee Givers and celebrate our amazing current ones.

Become a new Employee Giver and you’ll receive a festive holiday stocking and a candy cane to kick off the season!

Already an Employee Giver? 

Increase your giving by $1 and receive a candy cane.
Increase your giving by $5 and you’ll receive a stocking + candy cane. 

Let’s start the holiday season by giving back to those who need it most. Together, we can make a meaningful impact in our community.

---

Sent on behalf of Dr. Bradley Jacobson, Chief of Staff

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Justin Jagger has been appointed as the Acting Chief of Paediatrics at TBRHSC effective December 3, 2025, after covering the role since November 1, 2025.

This role is familiar to Dr. Jagger, who was Chief of Paediatrics from 2013-2017. He is a respected member of the Department of Paediatrics and has been a Paediatrician with TBHRSC since 2009.

Dr. Jagger is also an Associate Professor and Chair, Section of Child and Adolescent Medicine at NOSM University. I would like to thank Dr. Jagger for taking on this role until April 30, 2026 while Dr. Linda Bakovic is on leave.

Please join me in welcoming him.

Copper Kettle Coffee House is proudly partnering with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation for the month of December to support the Renal and Hemodialysis Fund — and they are doing it in the sweetest way possible!

For just $1, you can add marshmallows to any hot or cold drink. Your espresso will be poured right over top, melting them into a warm, gooey, irresistible holiday treat — and that $1 goes directly to the Health Sciences Foundation. As well, gingerbread cookies will be up for grabs for $4, with $1 from every cookie supporting the cause as well.

Stop by Copper Kettle Coffee House, enjoy a festive drink and a cookie, and help make a difference for patients in our community.

Voting is now open to select the winners of the 2025 iCare Impact Awards.

The iCare Impact Awards are peer-to-peer recognition, aimed at highlighting the behaviours and initiatives that support our mission, vision, and values and strategic directions. The Awards recognize outcomes and impacts, and the people who made those outcomes possible. When placing a nomination, keep the impact front-of-mind, looking through the lens of our strategic vision; exceptional care for every patient, every time!

Click here to vote!

Have your voice heard by voting for the winners of the following award categories:

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award: Awarded to a member or members of the hospital community who contributed to a strategic initiative that embodies the goal of “we all belong”. This individual or team embeds diversity in all they do and ensures the provision of a culturally safe experience to staff and/or patients. 

Patient Experience Award: Awarded to a member or members of the hospital community who contributed to a strategic initiative that embodies the goal of “empathy, compassion and respect in every encounter”. This individual or team embeds empathy, compassion and respect into their interactions with others, is focused on quality, and is an expert in caring for patients with complex needs.  

Staff Experience Award: Awarded to a member or members of the hospital community who contributed to a strategic initiative that embodies the goal of “this is where we want to work, grow and thrive”. This individual or team works diligently to ensure that staff experience a psychologically safe and just work culture, and supports the ongoing development of employees and leaders alike. 

Research, Innovation, and Learning Award: Awarded to a member or members of the hospital community who contributed to a strategic initiative that embodies the goal of “prioritizing our research efforts”. This individual or team works to ensure that we support staff capacity and capability for research and success, and creates an environment supportive of research, innovation and learning. 

Sustainable Future Award: Awarded to a member or members of the hospital community who contributed to a strategic initiative that embodies the goal of “ensuring our healthy future”. This individual or team embeds the principles of sustainability into their daily work and interactions with others.

---

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Diagnostic Imaging department at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre sponsoring the Children’s Aid Society of the District of Thunder Bay’s Annual Christmas Wish Campaign, now partnered with Dilico Anishinabek Family Care.

In a combined effort, Diagnostic Imaging staff came together to fill the holiday wishes of eight children receiving care through the Children’s Aid Society and/or Dilico. Each child receives a personalized gift bag filled with their wish list items, clothing, and other essentials, ensuring each child experiences comfort, joy, and a sense of belonging during the holiday season.

Rose Harding, who has led this initiative in Diagnostic Imaging for all twenty years, shared: “The staff really look forward to supporting this initiative and spreading some Christmas cheer in our community. It has become a department tradition, with many staff asking in early October about the campaign. It’s a simple way to give back and, over the years, we have supported at least 25 families, a few youth living on their own who are aging out of care, and this year eight individual children.”

The department’s commitment to giving extends throughout the year. Their community dinners are funded through the generosity of Dr. Mehran Midia, who provides lunch for staff on occasion. In return, staff contribute a toonie or more, which has enabled the department to sponsor and cook three to four meals annually at Shelter House Thunder Bay for several years. On Saturday, December 6, approximately 154 people enjoyed a hot meal through Dr. Midia’s generosity and the ripple effect created by staff contributions.

Thank you to everyone in Diagnostic Imaging for your continuous dedication to supporting families, youth, and community members in need.

If you’ve ever wondered where confidence, competence, and a bit of clinical magic are made, look no further than the Ibn Sina Simulation Lab — the beating heart of hands-on learning at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC). This immersive, high-energy space is where students and clinicians step into realistic scenarios and sharpen their skills in ways that truly bring health care education to life.

Photo 1: Leanne Baird, Manager of the Ibn Sina Simulation Lab (Sim Lab) invited us in for a closer look at this dynamic space. Her passion for experiential learning and patient-centred training was contagious from the moment she welcomed us in. When asked what she likes about her job, she exclaims “Everything! My job is the best. Let me show you why!”

Photo 2: Baird starts by explaining that the Sim Lab is a learning hub for students, clinicians, and allied health care teams. Continuing professional development takes on a new level of excitement when professionals can refresh skills, trial new procedures, or participate in high-energy scenario training. In a field that evolves daily, simulation ensures health care providers stay sharp, confident, and ready for anything.  “The Sim Lab is hopping,” smiles Baird. “The schedule changes every week. We are a teaching Hospital, so we have every type of health care learner.” The photo shows an example of a training schedule for the week.

Photos 3, 4, 5: “It’s a high-impact, no risk environment,” shares Baird. “Imagine walking into a room that looks and feels exactly like a real hospital room with monitors beeping, equipment ready, and a patient [a high-fidelity mannequin] that can talk, breathe, bleed, and even give birth. We can set the space up like an operating room, a birthing suite, whatever is necessary for the specific medical skill the instructor is teaching.” This is where learners get to try, fail, try again, and ultimately master essential skills without ever putting a real patient at risk. “It’s hands-on learning at its most dynamic and empowering.”

Photos 6 and 7: From the control room, Leanne controls various aspects of the high-fidelity mannequin, including pupil dilation, chest movement and voice.  She demonstrates by speaking through the microphone and the mannequin suddenly comes to life, blinking and talking. The blend of realism, innovation and teamwork, creates a dynamic and exciting learning environment.

Photos 8, 9, 10: Some clinical events happen only a few times in a clinician’s entire career, but when they do, there is no margin for error. The Sim Lab allow teams to rehearse skills that are High Acuity, Low Occurrence (HALO) until they can respond with calm precision. It is all about building muscle memory, confidence, and clinical excellence that directly translates into safer patient care.

Photo 11: After every scenario, teams come together for structured debriefing, providing a safe, supportive space to reflect, share insights, and refine performance. These conversations are where breakthroughs happen. Learners unpack what went well, what could be improved, and how to elevate their practice. It’s the heartbeat of a culture focused on continuous growth and excellence.

Shared on behalf of Information Technology

---

As we introduced Microsoft Teams and are transitioning to OneDrive and SharePoint, additional applications or add-ins can be requested. At this point in time, only Microsoft applications or add-ins are being approved, like Forms and Polls.

Requests for non-Microsoft applications will be reviewed at the conclusion of the project in late spring of 2026. This timeline is necessary since these integrated applications require a thorough review for contract alignment, licensing, and compatibility, which is a time-intensive process.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Help Desk at Help.Desk@tbh.net.

Help spread recognition and joy throughout the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre by nominating your peers for a 2026 iCare Impact Award.

Click here to submit your 2026 iCare Award nomination.

Don’t forget, there is still time to vote for the 2025 iCare Impact Awards. Click here to vote for 2025’s winners.