Staff Experience Award Winner – Rene Lafontaine

Congratulations to Rene Lafontaine, for winning the Staff Experience Award!

Rene Lafontaine, an oncology nurse, works as part of the Radiation Oncology multidisciplinary team and in the Chemotherapy unit.

Whenever asked, Rene is always willing to lend a hand. In his interactions with everyone in the department – radiation therapists, other nurses, clerks and physicians – he is always kind. He is a team player; willing to make the trip to pick up rhinolaryngoscopes that haven’t been returned and hunt down equipment, helping with difficult IV starts in Ct Simulation procedures and assisting the patients of his colleagues when the need arises. He communicates well with team members, providing pertinent information regarding a patient visit.

Thank you, Rene, for being a great team player!

Patient Experience Award Winner – Brent Fiddler

Congratulations to Brent Fiddler, winner of the Patient Experience Award.

Brent Fiddler has been a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit for the past five years. During his time in the ICU, Brent has gone above and beyond to provide exceptional care to patients and their family members. Brent always treats patients and family members with dignity and respect.

An example of this involves a patient who admitted to the ICU with respiratory failure requiring non-invasive ventilation (BiPaP) to assist with breathing and oxygenation. After a few days of this treatment, the family and care team determined that all best efforts were unavailing and the trajectory of care was switched to palliation. The BiPaP was removed and medications for comfort were administered to the patient.

The patient’s family jokingly said to Brent “too bad he can’t have his music and wine he loved that”. Brent replied “Why not?” The patient’s family went home and got some of the patient’s homemade wine, the family members gave him wine with mouth swabs while they played his favourite music, sang, and danced. The patient passed peacefully soon after. The family was extremely grateful for what they said “was opportunity to have the best of a sad situation”.

Thank you Brent, for going above and beyond for our patients and families.

It’s National Nursing Week and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is highlighting a few of our nurses and their achievements. Meet Saird Ezack, a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) at our Hospital.

---

Saird Ezack started in health care through the Military Reserves. She had many amazing opportunities and obtained her Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) license, Paramedic License, and taught Tactical Combat Casualty Care courses. 

She has been an RPN at TBRHSC since 2013. She worked primarily on surgical units and is very passionate about patient safety and quality care. She has most recently accepted a position on the Paediatric unit.

She thoroughly enjoys teaching and mentoring new and student nurses. She is very fortunate to be Clinical Instructor for Confederation College.

Saird is currently in the process of applying for bridging from RPN to Registered Nurse.

In recognition of National Nursing Week (May 8-14), there are daily trivia questions. Each submission will be entered into a draw to win prizes. Winners will be announced on the Daily Informed Newsletter during National Nursing Week.

How to enter

You can enter by:

• Clicking the link in the poster below
• Using the QR code in the poster below; or
• Sending in your responses by email to nurses@tbh.net

Day 4 Trivia Questions:

• We have a Nursing Practice Council (NPC) (True or False)
• The Nursing Practice Council (NPC) is a forum for nurses across the organization to participate in discussion, referral or decision-making processes that impact safe nursing practice and quality patient care, in alignment with the mission, vision and strategic plan of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre? (True or False)

Shared on behalf of Ryan Sears, Director, Capital & 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 Fire System and Overhead Paging System on Thursday, May 11, 2023 for approximately four (4) hours – starting at 11:00 PM to facilitate deactivation of the fire system related to the Research MRI new installation project.

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 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. In preparation for the downtime, 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 629-7005. Further support will be provided by Security (684-6509) and the on call Facility Manager (cell number 629-3119) as required.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above, please contact Ryan Sears.

It’s National Nursing Week and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is highlighting a few of our nurses and their achievements. Meet Terah White, a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) at our Hospital:

Terah White is a dedicated nurse with 10 years of experience in the health care industry. Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Terah was inspired to pursue a career in nursing after watching her father struggle with a cardiac episode. She earned her diploma in Nursing from Confederation College and continues to pursue education in leadership.

Terah has worked in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals, clinics, and educational settings. She has also served as a Change Management Lead in underserved communities, where she has provided access to virtual medical care and education to providers. Throughout her career, Terah has demonstrated a strong commitment to patient care, always going above and beyond to ensure that her patients receive the best possible treatment and support.

Terah is known for her exceptional clinical skills, and her dedication to ongoing professional development. She has received awards and recognitions throughout her career, including the Nursing Excellence Award from TBRHSC.  In addition to her clinical work, Terah is also an active member of professional organizations.

Looking to the future, Terah is committed to continuing her work in health care and to serving as a mentor and role model for other nurses. She plans to pursue further education and training in health care leadership and hopes to one day take on a leadership role.

In recognition of National Nursing Week (May 8-14), there are daily trivia questions. Each submission will be entered into a draw to win prizes. Winners will be announced on the Daily Informed Newsletter during National Nursing Week.

How to enter

You can enter by:

• Clicking the link in the poster below
• Using the QR code in the poster below; or
• Sending in your responses by email to nurses@tbh.net

Day 3 Trivia Questions:

• The TBRHSC is a Best Practice Spotlight Organization? (True or False)
• When you commit to looking at nursing practice through an evidence based and research supported lens, you also commit to making changes when change means better patient outcomes? (True or False)

This week is Emergency Preparedness Week! This year’s theme is “Be Prepared. Know your Risks”. The intent of the theme is to encourage us all to understand the risks in our area and learn what actions we can take to protect ourselves, our families, and our community.

Emergency Preparedness in Our Community

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre collaborates with the City of Thunder Bay and a wide variety of community partners, such as Thunder Bay Fire Rescue and the Thunder Bay Police Service, to help inform hospital preparedness and response. The hospital also regularly participates in exercises with external partners. For example, hospital representatives recently participated in a tabletop exercise simulating a wildfire related emergency response led by the City’s Municipal Emergency Control Group.

Across Canada, we face a number of hazards, which can vary from region to region. Knowing the risks can inform how we plan and prepare. Find out about risks in our region by using some of the following resources:

• Hazards monitored by Emergency Management Ontario: https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/hzd/rgnl/on-en.aspx
• Current forest fire activity and fire restrictions: https://www.ontario.ca/page/forest-fires
• Current weather alerts via Environment Canada’s WeatherCAN cellphone app and website: https://weather.gc.ca/index_e.html
• Up to date earthquake information via Natural Resources Canada: https://www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/index-en.php
• Historical list of Canadian disasters, including those triggered by natural hazards, technological hazards, or conflict (not including war), including where and when they occurred via the Canadian Disaster Database website: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/cndn-dsstr-dtbs/index-en.aspx

Have a resource you’d like to share? Reach out to Mēsha Richard, Lead, Emergency Preparedness (ext. 6552 or mesha.richard@tbh.net)

It’s National Nursing Week and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is highlighting a few of our nurses and their achievements. Meet Meghan Hill, a Registered Nurse (RN) and Patient Care Manager on the 2B Medical Inpatient Unit at our Hospital:

Meghan Hill started her career 15 years ago as a Registered Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).  During that time, she realized her passion for high-quality nursing care, leadership, and education.  As an ICU nurse, she provided life-saving interventions for the sickest and most critical patients of all ages. Meghan was a member of the Medical Emergency Team (MET) as well as the Regional Critical Care Response (RCCR) team for several years, providing outreach education and clinical support to TBHRSC’s inpatient hospital units as well as to the small rural and remote hospitals and Indigenous communities. 

In September, 2021, Meghan transitioned into a new position as the Regional Paediatric, Neonatal and Infant Transport Lead at TBRHSC. She has had the autonomy to develop this role using her experience to support, collaborate and implement innovative strategies to improve access to paediatric care across the North. Meghan participates as a member of various committees, continually advocating for the North by identifying barriers to accessible paediatric care, resources and education. Part of this role involves collaborating with the Clinical Nurse Specialists, Paediatricians, NOSMU Residents, RCCR Outreach, as well as the Simulation Technologist to develop and provide accessible paediatric educational opportunities and resources. Meghan also continues to educate staff as an instructor for various paediatric specialty courses.

A point of pride for Meghan was the implementation of the Regional Paediatric Response (RPR) program, which launched in December 2022. This is a virtual platform for small and rural hospitals to access expert advice and real time virtual assessments from the TBRHSC Paediatrician as well as ongoing clinical nursing support for the region. She has also been working closely with TBHRSC’s tertiary hospital, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), to provide paediatric critical care consultations to paediatric patients admitted to our Hospital’s adult ICU using the RPR platform.

A new and exciting project is the development and implementation of a Neonatal and Infant Transport Team based out of Thunder Bay. Combing both leadership and critical thinking skills, Meghan collaborates with key external partners such as ORNGE, and tertiary centres such as LHSC and Sick Kids, to develop a team that aims to provide timely access to transport for critically ill children in the North. 

Meghan recently accepted the position of Patient Care Manger – 2B Medical Inpatient Unit.

 “I am grateful to work in a capacity where I know that my contributions allow for improved care for paediatric patients throughout our region,” Hill says. “I have been given so many great opportunities to apply my knowledge and expertise beyond bedside nursing.”

In recognition of National Nursing Week (May 8-14), there are daily trivia questions. Each submission will be entered into a draw to win prizes. Winners will be announced on the Daily Informed Newsletter during National Nursing Week.

How to enter

You can enter by:

• Clicking the link in the poster below
• Using the QR code in the poster below; or
• Sending in your responses by email to nurses@tbh.net

Day Two Trivia Questions

• What year did Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott become the President and CEO at the TBRHSC and CEO at the TBRHRI?
• Who is the Vice President of Patient Experience, Chief Nursing Executive (CNE) and Regional Vice President (RVP) of the Regional Cancer Care?