Happy Ethics Week!

As part of our Ethics Week celebration, we’re excited to highlight the role ethics plays in various areas across the organization with a feature called “Faces of Ethics.” Ethics is for everyone, and together, we can make decisions that matter.

Northwest Regional Renal Program

1) What does your department do?

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre North West Regional Renal Program provides a wide range of services to people living in Northwestern Ontario with kidney disease. This includes education, decision making support and treatment provided in the Multi-Care Kidney Clinic, in the dialysis units (TBRHSC & satellite units in Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout and Kenora), to our patients utilizing home modalities of dialysis across the Northwest, as well as pre and post transplant, and living kidney donation care. The goal is to provide the right care at the right time for our patients, knowing that their needs will change at the different stages of kidney disease. For that reason, our services are customized to each person’s needs.

2) What kind of ethical issues come up in your area?

Throughout a persons experience with kidney disease there are a number of decisions or experiences that can happen which bring up ethical dilemmas for staff, patients and families. Some areas have included: Respect of autonomy (eg. Consent/capacity, withdrawal of care); Non-maleficence/beneficence (eg. balancing risks/benefits for vulnerable groups, impact of comorbidities); Moral/Religious and Spiritual dilemmas; and Justice (eg. equity of access to care based on social determinants of health).

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Ethics Affects Us All. If you’re facing an ethical dilemma or have questions, reach out to the Bioethicist, or a member of the ethics committee for support.

Bioethicist: Michelle Allain – michelle.allain@tbh.net | 807-630-0406

Lakehead University’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives and Confederation College Negahneewin Office invite you to join us for our virtual Treaty Week Event with Mike Restoule on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 from 11:30am to 1:00pm. Please share widely.

Event Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 – 11:30am to 1:00pm EST

Event Location: Via Zoom (live-streamed in the Shuniah Lounge at Confederation College and to the Public)

Register in advance

https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEofuChpj8rGtB2OJEcF8srC0Ynow28pcTJ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Everyone Welcome!

Insulin Pens will now be dispensed at the hospital. Look to your MAR to guide administration changes from vial and syringe to insulin pens. 

Happy Ethics Week!

As part of our Ethics Week celebration, we’re excited to highlight the role ethics plays in various areas across the organization with a feature called “Faces of Ethics.” Ethics is for everyone, and together, we can make decisions that matter.

Cardiovascular Surgery

What does your department do?

The Cardiovascular Surgery project brings together Capital and Clinical team members in a collaborative effort with internal and external partners (e.g., Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Ministry of Health, third-party programs, architectural and engineering consultants). The team systematically gathers essential information to strategically develop a cardiac surgery program for Northwestern Ontario.

Guided by Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s philosophy, mission, and values, the project’s goal is to improve access to life-saving cardiovascular procedures. Given Northwestern Ontario’s high rate of cardiovascular disease, this program aims to close the gap in access to care within the region.

What ethical questions arise in your area?

Limited access to specialized care in Northwestern Ontario compared to other regions raises significant ethical concerns. At the core, the project seeks to ensure fair distribution of cardiovascular care across geographic areas. Key ethical questions include:

• Why does this access gap exist?
• How does it impact the health of residents in Northwestern Ontario?
• What financial burdens affect those who must travel for specialized care?
• Will financial limitations influence a patient’s ability to seek surgery?
• What other stressors might patients face?
• How can access to care be improved?

As the project advances, new ethical questions will arise. The team is committed to ongoing collaboration to identify and address these issues effectively.

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Ethics Affects Us All. If you’re facing an ethical dilemma or have questions, reach out to the Bioethicist, or a member of the ethics committee for support.

Bioethicist: Michelle Allain – michelle.allain@tbh.net | 807-630-0406

Congratulations to the winners of the Canadian Patient Safety Week Trivia contest on that took place on November 1:

• Carol Pelletier
• Michelle Finner
• Chelsea Ugonwanne

Thank you to all who participated!

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Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW) is fast approaching, taking place from October 28 to November 1. The provision of safe and high-quality care is a top priority at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. We are continuously evaluating our current practices and looking at opportunities for improvement.

When it comes to patient safety, recognizing and minimizing harm is crucial, which aligns with this year’s theme for CPSW: Health Care Harm. It is important to recognize that health care harm extends far beyond physical injuries. With this in mind, what types of harm currently exist within our health care setting? Why does health care harm occur? What is the impact on those receiving and delivering care? How can we prevent it? These are the types of questions that we will explore further during CPSW.

Please join the various activities throughout CPSW, as described in the daily schedule below in the poster below.

All staff are welcome to all events.

Have questions? Please reach out to TBRHSC.QRM@tbh.net

It’s Patient Transport Week and we’re thanking our Portering team for keeping Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre in motion by safely transporting patients to where they need to be. Porters move patients who are admitted, discharged, or need tests and procedures in other departments. They strive to create positive interactions and increase patient satisfaction. Please join us in recognizing these integral members of our health care system.

Treaty Recognition Week highlights the importance of Treaties and the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Ontario. Treaties are agreements established between Indigenous groups and the Government of Canada, provincial and territorial governments.

They outline the ongoing rights and responsibilities of all parties involved and are central to the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Treaties may seem like historical documents, yet the obligations and commitments within them remain just as relevant today. The land we live and gather on is Treaty land, and everyone in Canada shares the rights and responsibilities related to upholding Treaties. We are all Treaty People.

The Indigenous Collaboration, Equity & Inclusion team will host a Lunch and Learn on November 7 & 8 to share information on Treaties. Each session attended will quality you for 1 ballot entry for a prize basket. For more information, or to register, click here.

You can contribute to reconciliation by completing training including Wake the Giant Training or Repairing the Sacred Circle. For more information, please contact TBRHSC Cultural Safety Educator at TBRHSC.CulturalSafetyEducator@tbh.net.

For more information about Treaty Recognition Week, click here.

Happy Ethics Week!

As part of our Ethics Week celebration, we’re excited to highlight the role ethics plays in various areas across the organization with a feature called “Faces of Ethics.” Ethics is for everyone, and together, we can make decisions that matter.

Faces of Ethics: Ethics Committee

1) What is the role of the ethics committee?

The ethics committee is a dedicated group made up of staff from all areas of the hospital, including clinical and non-clinical members, along with patient and family advisors (PFAs). Their role? To discuss, review, and reflect on ethical issues across our organization. They provide support with education, decision-making, consultations, and policy reviews.

2) What type of ethical issues does the ethics committee discuss?

The ethics committee dives into a wide range of scenarios—both clinical and non-clinical. For clinical cases, this might include questions about patient consent, treatment decisions, or respecting patient and family wishes. On the non-clinical side, they look at issues like workplace fairness, resource allocation, and policy decisions that impact staff and patients alike. The committee is here to ensure that everyone’s values and perspectives are considered, helping find solutions that align with our organization’s commitment to exceptional, ethical care.

Join Us!

We’re looking for enthusiastic new members to bring fresh perspectives to the table! If you’re curious about what we do, or interested in joining, reach out to the Bioethicist (michelle.allain@tbh.net) to learn more. Ethics is for everyone! Join us in making a difference.

Ethics Affects Us All. If you’re facing an ethical dilemma or have questions, reach out to the Bioethicist, or a member of the ethics committee for support.

Bioethicist: Michelle Allain – michelle.allain@tbh.net | 807-630-0406

Shared on behalf of Quality & Risk Management

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On Sunday, November 3, 2024 at 2:00 a.m., clocks and watches fall back one hour to 1:00 a.m. to local Standard Time.

The accuracy of time is very important to ensuring safety at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. It is of importance not only for scheduling procedures and staffing, but also for charting accuracy and medication dispensing. 

At 2:00 a.m. all electronic clocks that are controlled by the system (NICU, ICU, etc.) will be moved back to Standard Time automatically. Any final adjustments will be completed by 5:00 a.m.  If any of these system clocks are not updated by 8:00 a.m., please contact the Maintenance Department (ext. 6344).  

All departments will be responsible for changing the time on any battery operated clocks in their area. Computers will automatically change to Standard Time. 

Please ensure that your personal watches/devices are updated and that any clocks in your area are adjusted in a timely manner.