Download Application Form here:

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared over on the Forensic Inpatient Unit as of January 20, 2025. All restrictions are lifted. Outbreak # 2262-2025-00001   

Please share this information with the appropriate staff.   

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. 

For more information, contact: Infection Prevention and Control at extension 6094.  

Over the past several years, we have seen an increasing number of non-English speaking citizens and visitors seeking care at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. As English is not their first language, these patients and families often require the support of interpretation services. Providing culturally appropriate care is equivalent to safe care, and being able to communicate the needs of our patients and families effectively can help provide better care.

Recognizing this gap and enabled by a Family CARE Grant from the Foundation, Care Communication Cards were designed and printed in multiple languages (adapted from the Ojibwe “Basic Patient Needs” communication tool).

Care Communication Cards are laminated communication tools which display pictographs with corresponding words in English and an additional language, conveying basic patient needs or pain levels.  If the healthcare provider is asking a question, using the Care Communication Card to point to a corresponding word, the patient can also use the card to help answer the question.  These cards can also be used in conjunction with the bedside communication whiteboards. While a patient is staying at the Hospital, the Care Communication Card could be placed at the bedside or attached to the whiteboard for easy access.

Additionally, Care Communication Cards can be used both in the in-patient units and the out-patient areas as a quick, easily accessed communication tool. They are also useful for communicating with non-verbal patients.  The card may be all that is required at the moment, but if further discussion is necessary, the cards can be used until interpretation services can be accessed.  When no longer required for a particular patient, the cards can be easily cleaned and disinfected to be stored on the unit and re-used for a future patient. 

For a language that is not represented, there is an English-only card with blank spaces for adding interpretation.  If an Essential Care Partner wishes to translate the information to assist in the patient’s care, the completed card can later be scanned and added to the digital library.  All current Care Communication Cards are also available on the iNtranet under Corporate Services – Interpretation Services.

Thank you to both the Patient Family Advisor Council and the clinical staff for your feedback and assistance in helping to co-design these resources, and thank you to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation for the Family CARE Grant that made these toolkits possible.

Over the next few weeks, Care Communication Card toolkits will be handed out to units throughout the Hospital. Keep an eye out for the Patient Safety Improvement Specialist visiting your area!

For more information or if you have questions, reach out to Terry Fodë, Patient Safety Improvement Specialist, at extension 6754 or terry.fode@tbh.net.

Objectives

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center/Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHSC/TBRHRI) research seed funding competition aims to support promising health research in order to advance research outcomes and capacity and preferably also facilitate applications for external funding.

Scope

This seed funding competition applies to basic science, clinical research, social inquiry, humanities scholarship, or other health research that addresses patient needs at TBRHSC/TBRHRI and/or in Northwestern Ontario.

Eligibility

Teams of at least two applicants can apply. The principal applicant must be a physician, scientist or staff (frontline or managerial) of TBRHSC/TBRHRI; if she or he has a current academic appointment, it cannot be of higher rank than Assistant Professor. At least one co-applicant must be a patient or learner at TBRHSC/TBRHRI or a resident of Northwestern Ontario.

Format

The application will consist of a maximum of five pages (single space, 12 Times New Roman font) in WORD software. The structure of the application must include these sections:

• Cover page (with title of application and the names of the applicants with contact information – including email address – of the principal applicant);

• Abstract and lay summary page (no more than 200 words in the Abstract, sectioned thus: Background, Questions/Hypotheses, Methods; and no more than 100 words in the lay summary, unstructured);
  • Background (with a referenced literature review and clarification of the need for the proposed research as well as its alignment with the research strategic plan of TBRHSC/RI);
  • Questions/Hypotheses (one or more);
  • Method (study design, ethics procedures, data collection [including sampling and more], data analysis, and knowledge translation/exchange); Budget (total cash asked for with a maximum of $10,000, and line-by-line budgeting such as for personnel, equipment and other needs such as for external funding application resourcing if relevant, as well as in-kind contributions if any). If the applicants plan to use the results of this research to apply for external funding, an additional section should be added at the end, titled External Funding Plan (including how this research’s expected results may be used in such an application and what resources will be used for this application). Language used in the application should be respectful and grammatically correct.

Process

The submission shall include the application, the principal applicant’s curriculum vitae (CV) and the co-applicants’ CVs/Biographies attached in an email sent no later than February 14, 2025 by end of day to Dr. C. Mushquash, Vice President Research (VPR) and Chief Scientist at TBRHSC/TBRHRI (chris.mushquash@tbh.net).

Submissions that successfully pass screening for scope, eligibility, format and CVs/Biographies inclusion will be independently rated by two reviewers for background, questions/hypotheses, methods, budget and external funding plan (see evaluation form).

Funding decisions will be communicated with ratings and feedback to the principal applicants by March 21, 2025. Funding will then be provided after processing by TBRHSC/TBRHRI’s Clinical Research Services Department and approval by the VPR. A research report in publishable format should be emailed to the VPR by September 18, 2026. General queries can be sent to Daniel Horne at daniel.horne@tbh.net.

Register for a HOOPP event today!

Do you want to know more about retirement and your pension, but aren’t sure where to start? Register today for HOOPP’s Are you getting retirement ready? webinar. You will get the information you need to help you plan for retirement and have the opportunity to ask questions about your pension.

Join and learn about:

• how HOOPP supports you through the moments that matter
• choosing an optimal retirement date
• survivor benefits and considerations for choosing a spousal option
• your life in retirement and how to get started

Register today here. If you have any questions, please call Member Services team at 416-646-6445 or toll-free at 1-877-43HOOPP (46677), Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

We each play a vital role in advancing our strategic priorities and achieving our vision of Exceptional care for every patient, every time. To increase awareness of the progress we are making on Strategic Plan 2026, we are sharing highlights of each strategic priority every quarter. The full list of each “Quarterly Strategic Initiative Highlights” can be found on the intranet.

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Leadership Development

Our future success hinges on a strong workforce led by individuals who inspire, support, and motivate their teams to reach their full potential. This project empowers all staff to become leaders and includes initiatives designed for all levels of leadership – from aspiring to executive.

Key achievements in our Professional Development and Leadership Community include:

Professional Development

• Welcomed 31 new participants into cohort 3 of the “Power of Persuasion: Mastering Literacy for Humanistic Leaders” program through Humber College.
• Eight leaders have completed the Rotman Healthcare Leadership program, with 13 additional leaders registered for the November session.
• Introduced monthly “Management Essentials” training, providing foundational knowledge across various topics. A fantastic 259 spots have already been filled for the upcoming sessions!

Leadership Community

• Established a quarterly forum for leaders to connect, share experiences, and learn from one another, fostering collaboration across the Hospital.
• 77 leaders participated in the September “Leveraging Strengths” forum to discuss methods to support our teams.

Together, we are shaping the future of leadership at TBRHSC and TBRHRI. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to grow and thrive!

For a full list of highlights from the latest quarterly update, download the document below:

Q2 Update (July 1, 2024 – September 30 2024)

Congratulations to another winner of the quarterly ‘Good Catch’ Awards – Tara Libiak!  

Good Catch Awards highlight individuals, groups or departments who demonstrate their commitment to keeping patients safe by reporting a near miss. A ‘good catch’ (or near miss) is an event or situation that could have resulted in harm, but did not reach the patient because of chance or timely intervention. Reporting these events can help to identify gaps in order to prevent future adverse events from happening.

When Phlebotomist Tara went to 2C to perform bloodwork on a patient, she saw that the patient had two different name bands – one with the correct name and one with another patient’s name.   She verbally confirmed the correct name of the patient on which she was to draw blood and notified a unit nurse of the incorrect armband, which was then removed. Great job!

Thank you for your diligence and dedication to safety!  Tara has been awarded a certificate and gift cards to local businesses.

New winners will be selected every quarter. Continue submitting your near misses for a chance to win! Near miss reports are submitted through the Incident Learning System (patient safety incidents). Click on the ‘safety reporting’ icon from your Novell home page, or go to the iNtranet and choose ‘Safety Reporting’ under ‘Informational’.

For more information, contact Terry Fodë, Patient Safety Improvement Specialist (terry.fode@tbh.net).

Shared on behalf of Caroline Fanti, Director, Regional Surgical Services

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I am pleased to welcome Brittany Muldoon to her new role as Regional Central Intake Administrator within the Regional Surgical Services Program. Effective January 27^th, 2025, Brittany will provide multi-faceted support to clerical and clinical staff for surgical and diagnostic imaging teams, surgical office administrators and surgeons at TBRHSC and Regional Surgical Partner sites. Areas of specialization will include Novari and Ocean applications across all Centralized Waitlist Management pathways which enable more equitable access to specialized care, wait times performance, and health system efficiencies.

Since joining the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre in 2016, Brittany has worked across various departments, gaining experience across surgical wards, Health Records, and most recently in the Orthopedic Central Intake program. With a strong background in healthcare administration, Brittany is known for her attention to detail, excellent organizational and communication skills, and her commitment to providing exceptional service for our patients and families.

Brittany’s diverse experience will enable her to navigate complex administrative processes, ensuring seamless coordination and communication between programs and health service providers across multiple hospitals and organizations.

Please join me in congratulating Brittany in her new role!

Shared on behalf of Research Ethics & Authorization Office

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Please be advised that the TBRHSC Active Studies List is now available for viewing or download on the Clinical Research Services iNtranet page under the “Active Studies List” tab. The Active Studies List includes basic information on all currently active research involving human participants taking place under the auspices of TBRHSC and/or TBRHRI (i.e. involving patients, staff, data, space, resources). All listed studies:

• have current valid Research Ethics Board (REB) approval from either the TBRHSC REB, a designated REB of Record through Clinical Trials Ontario, or Lakehead University through our organizations’ reciprocity agreement
• have been issued Institutional Approval by the TBRHSC VP Research
• are actively collecting data or in the follow-up phase

The list is compiled by the Research Ethics & Authorization Office and will be updated quarterly. Reach out to Statton Eade, Research Ethics & Authorization Coordinator, at Statton.Eade@tbh.net or (807) 684-6359 if you have any questions.

Our friends at Sandra Schmirler Foundation are looking for dedicated volunteers to answer phones during their annual telethon during the Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Sunday, February 16! 📞

Note: Applicants must be comfortable using a computer.

For more info or to sign up for a shift, please fill out this form: https://bit.ly/hsf2025ssfvolunteers

Proceeds raised at the Telethon will be donated to our Health Sciences Foundation, to help equip the Hospital’s Paediatric Transport Team with the tools they need to transport critically ill children.