On July 7, volunteers from across our community gathered at Fort William Historical Park for the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards, an annual celebration recognizing the dedication, generosity, and lasting impact of volunteers from across the province.

The evening brought together volunteers representing a diverse range of organizations and sectors, united by a shared commitment to strengthening their communities and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the compassion, time, and energy that volunteers contribute each and every day.

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre was proud to recognize nine exceptional volunteers who have achieved significant service milestones with our organization. Through their unwavering commitment, they have helped enhance the experiences of countless patients, families, visitors, and staff. We are incredibly grateful for the time, kindness, and expertise they continue to share in support of our Hospital and the community we serve.

This year’s recipients included:

Marilyn Chisholm – 40 Years of Service
Barb Rickards – 35 Years of Service
Dorothy Martel – 35 Years of Service
Sheila Meijer – 30 Years of Service
Christine Hildebrand – 10 Years of Service
Merrill Young and her therapy dog, Scarlett – 10 Years of Service

We were also proud to celebrate three outstanding youth volunteers who were recognized for their commitment to serving our Hospital and community:

Dougie Newhouse
Harrison Nelson
Edelweiss Price

Whether they have dedicated 10 years of service or an incredible 40 years, each recipient has made a lasting impact through their commitment, compassion, and generosity. Their contributions have helped create a welcoming, supportive environment for patients, families, visitors, and staff, strengthening the care experience for everyone who comes through our doors.

Congratulations to all of our Ontario Volunteer Service Award recipients. Thank you for the remarkable difference you make each and every day. We are honoured to celebrate your achievements and deeply grateful to have you as valued members of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre family.

On July 10, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) welcomed a delegation of health care professionals from the Republic of Korea for an educational exchange focused on medical education and clinical training.

The visiting group included faculty members from Inha University College of Medicine, experts from the National Medical Center, and representatives from the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation. Their visit provided an opportunity to learn more about the innovative approaches to medical education, distributed learning, clinical training environments, simulation-based education, and learner support systems offered at TBRHSC.

The delegation toured several key clinical and educational areas, including the Ibn Sina Simulation Lab, the Physician Lounge, the ICU Regional Critical Care Response Program and Regional Paediatric Response Program. Throughout the visit, team members shared knowledge on how our programs support learners and health care professionals across Northwestern Ontario.

The visit highlights TBRHSC’s ongoing commitment to excellence in education and its role as a leader in training the next generation of health care professionals. International collaborations such as this foster the exchange of ideas, strengthen global partnerships, and contribute to continuous innovation in medical education and patient care.

We were pleased to host our colleagues from Korea and look forward to future opportunities for collaboration and shared learning.

Starting the week of July 13, the first floor by Labour and Delivery will be getting painted (see map below). Painting will continue for multiple weeks.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jeff MacDonald, Facility Planning Assistant, Maintenance, at jeffrey.macdonald@tbh.net.

Congratulations to our Preceptor of the Month, Sal Berryman

Sal was nominated by his CNS, Katie Nelson, in recognition of his exceptional commitment to mentoring new hires and nursing students on 3C. He creates a welcoming and supportive learning environment where new staff feel comfortable asking questions, building confidence, and developing their clinical skills. Sal consistently goes above and beyond for those he mentors. His dedication to teaching, exceptional patient care, and commitment to developing the next generation of nurses exemplify the qualities of an outstanding preceptor. Thanks for all you do, Sal!

Microsoft Publisher will be retired in October 2026 and will no longer be supported after that date. If you currently use Publisher, please plan to convert your files to Word or PowerPoint by October 2026.

If you need help finding the best format or want to explore other poster ideas, branding and templates, please reach out to Communications for support and guidance.

All requests for Communications and Engagement support must be submitted through the online
ticketing system at: https://comms.tbrhsc.net/communication-request

Communications service requests are reviewed by the Communications and Engagement team on a daily basis for priority sequencing.

All TBRHSC and TBRHRI templates can be found on the Organization Resources SharePoint site under TBRHSC Desktop Templates.

Questions? Please contact the Help Desk: Email: Help.Desk@tbh.net | Phone: 807-684-6411

Disability Pride Month is observed annually in July. This month offers a meaningful opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of disabilities as a natural part of human diversity. It also highlights the contributions that individuals with disabilities make to society. In Canada, approximately 8 million people live with disabilities, both visible and invisible, including physical, sensory, and psychiatric disabilities, and neurodivergence.

Disability Pride Month is also a time to reflect on the barriers that continue to impact people with disabilities, many of whom continue to face systemic ableism and discrimination in everyday life. As health care providers, we recgonize that access to safe, inclusive, and barrier-free care remains essential to driving change and ensuring equity for all.

To learn more about Disability Pride Month, please go to: https://www.blueskylearning.ca/post/celebrating-disability-pride-month.

Disability Pride Flag

Flags are symbols of solidarity and pride, and can help to raise awareness and visibility. The Disability Pride Flag was originally designed by disabled writer, artist, and activist Ann Magill in 2019. The original flag featured the coloured stripes of the current flag in a zigzag formation, representing creativity when navigating obstacles.

In 2021, Magill redesigned the flag to its present configuration, after learning from members of the disability community that the zigzag created a strobe effect on computer and phone screens, potentially triggering symptoms for those who live with epileptic seizures and migraines.

The meanings and colours of the flag are as follows:

• All six flag colours: The six colours are the standard colours of international flags, to represent that disability affects individuals worldwide
• Charcoal Black background: Honoring the memory of individuals with disabilities who have passed away due to violence, abuse, neglect, and other injustices, while also expressing protest and anger against the mistreatment they endure.
• Diagonal Band: The band represents a contrast between vertical walls and horizontal ceilings that isolate people with disabilities, and cutting across societal barriers. The placement of the colours in the band is also significant, helping to reduce symptom triggers and improve contrast.
• Red Stripe: Physical disabilities.
• Gold Stripe: Neurodivergence.
• White Stripe: Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities.
• Blue Stripe: Psychiatric disabilities.
• Green Stripe: Sensory disabilities.

To learn more about the history of the Disability Pride Flag, please go to: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a43876914/disability-pride-flag/.

Disability Pride Month – Reading List

For Disability Pride Month in 2022, CBC compiled a list of 12 books that illustrate the importance of accurate representation for those living with disabilities. The list contains works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, books for Young Adults, and children’s books. For detailed descriptions of each book, click here.

Clinical placements play a vital role in a health care learner’s journey, bridging academic learning with real-world practice and helping students build confidence, competence, and professional identity. Through hands-on experience, learners develop essential clinical skills, teamwork, and an understanding of patient centred care.

As an academic health sciences centre, our Hospital is proud to support learners by providing a safe, supportive, and enriching placement environment where future professionals can learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to patient care. Every month, the department of Academic Affairs is highlighting learners at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Today, we meet Cerene, who is in Medical Laboratory Science at St Lawrence College.

Hometown – Oshawa, ON.

Program – Medical Laboratory Science, St Lawrence College, Kingston ON.

What does an average day during your placement look like?

An average day during my placement begins with checking in with my preceptor and setting goals for the day. From there, I shadow experienced Medical Laboratory Technologists, I observe and participate in routine laboratory procedures, and complete independent mock patient cases. Each day provides valuable opportunities to strengthen my technical skills, apply classroom knowledge in a clinical setting, and continue building my confidence as a future MLT.

Is there a mentor of faculty member who has significantly impacted you?

I feel incredibly grateful to have had many mentors who have positively impacted my journey. Throughout my studies and placement, individuals such as Lyl Stavropoulos, Sandy Trevisanutto, and Chelsea van Schie, have shared their knowledge, leadership, and encouragement. During my time in Kingston, Chelsea generously took the time to tutor and support me. These mentors and many others have been helping me build both my confidence and my understanding. Their guidance has played an important role in my growth as a future MLT.

What is one interesting fact others might not know about you?

One interesting fact about me is that I enjoy skateboarding. It’s super fun and challenging but it keeps me active!

Via Tbnewswatch

The regional hospital has beefed up its kitchen service.

For nearly a year, the hospital kitchen implemented a cook-serve method, moving away from the cook-chill method, says Colin Koivula, operations coordinator with the hospital.

“Knowing that nutrition and food are such an important part of patient recovery and the patient experience, we wanted to make some improvements, and this was just sort of the first step and the biggest step to make those,” he told Newswatch.

Koivula said the kitchen has always cooked its food from scratch, but the way it preserves food has changed.

The cook-chill method involves kitchen staff preparing food in advance, chilling it to an appropriate temperature, and reheating it a day or two later.  Now, patients are getting their food right after it’s cooked, he explained.

Stephanie Rowan, area general manager for Sodexo Canada, said, “We worked with the Thunder Bay Regional and Sodexo team, and collectively this is how we were able to make the move because they were able to use Sodexo expertise for what they do in other hospitals and what we can do here at the Thunder Bay Regional.”

Sodexo Canada oversees the nutrition and food service program in hospitals across the country.

Sodexo, the Thunder Bay Health Science Foundation, and the hospital worked collaboratively to overhaul the kitchen, buying new equipment and instruments for the line, as well as tray carts for service delivery, Rowan said.

“It’s changed basically everything. Certainly, the kitchen wasn’t set up for it. We didn’t have the equipment for it. All of our staffing, all of our roles, have changed, so I mean, right from the bottom up, it’s changed the whole way through,” Koivula said.

With the switchover to the new method, he said it’s just as labour-intensive as before. The real change is time sensitivity, especially when cooking for patients with food allergies and dietary restrictions.

“There’s just so many variations of that that it’s just not as easy as just putting out 350, 370 meals. It has to be like I say, different. It might be minced or pureed or no sugar or no added salt, all sorts of things in there that make a diet and make a meal slightly different for each patient,” Koivula said.

Even the menu has been revamped. The kitchen has condensed its three-week rotating menu to a seven-day rotating menu.

“The menu looks hopefully like what you’d be eating at home. We’re trying to give a nutritious, comforting, well-balanced three meals a day,” Koivula said.

The staff are cooking up further changes to the menu.

“We’re also looking at seasonal menus. In addition to that how do we change up the menus? Maybe there’s something Thunder Bay local that we could add to it. Can we do something with the pediatric-type menu? And then, we also look at patient preferences…the nice thing about being with Sodexo as well because we’re in the other hospitals, so we have a wide variety of menus that we can lean on,” Rowan said.

She said they have seen a significant change in patient satisfaction since adopting the change.

“Overall, just being able to cook in real time and deliver the meals has shown an improvement in patient experience,” she said.