Staff are encouraged to attend the upcoming Lunch and Learn, on November 7 & 8, in recognition of Treaty Recognition Week 2024 (November 3-9, 2024).

We will be viewing a series of short videos, where we will hear Indigenous speakers share their knowledge about the importance of treaties, treaty relationships and rights in Ontario.

There will be two sessions, each session will show different videos from the series, Indigenous Voices on Treaties. Both events will take place in ICP Main from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Session 1 (November 7, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.):

1. Chad Solomon (and Rabbit) on what is a promise
2. Maurice Switzer on what is a treaty anyway
3. Brenda Collins on what is a Wampum belt
4. Robert Greene on how treaties affect all aspects of life
5. Bentley Cheechoo on becoming a treaty Knowledge Keeper
6. Darrell Boissoneau on pre-Confederation treaties
7. Bentley Cheechoo on treaties’ impact on his family

Session 2 (November 8, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.):

1. Gerry Duquette Jr. on treaty responsibilities
2. Ange Loft on the importance of gift giving
3. Sylvia Maracle on how the treaty process has changed
4. Cora-Lee McGuire-Cyrette on oral history and women’s role in treaty signing
5. Maurice Switzer on reconciliation and treaty recognition
6. Anne Taylor on Treaty 20 and land stewardship
7. Doug Williams on treaties’ impact on First Nations languages and cultures

Raffle Alert: Each session attended will quality you for 1 ballot entry for a prize basket.  Draw to be done on Monday, November 11.

Please register for each session by clicking on the links below:
Session 1: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1058842599719?aff=oddtdtcreator
Session 1: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1058758789039?aff=oddtdtcreator

Lunch to be provided. Please bring your own beverage.

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.

Indigenous Care Coordinators

What does your department do?

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), in collaboration with Anishnawbe Mushkiki and Grand Council Treaty #3, has established Indigenous Care Coordinators (ICCs) to support Indigenous inpatients through culturally sensitive care and Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC). ICCs help Indigenous patients navigate health and mental health services, act as liaisons with local organizations, and advocate for patients’ needs.

ICCs work in collaboration with all TBRHSC support staff such as social workers, patient flow coordinators, nurses and physicians to ensure culturally safe care and discharge enhancing patient satisfaction and experience through comprehensive, culturally respectful care.

Their services include:

• Language support in Cree, Oji-Cree, and Ojibwe
• Culturally sensitive education and information
• Coordination of discharge planning and connection to community resources
• Arranging traditional care, spiritual support, and iPad lending for virtual connections
• Assisting with health benefits, assisted living arrangements, and equipment needs

Learn more by watching this video or reading this information sheet.

What ethical questions arise in your area?

Indigenous family structures go beyond the nuclear families living under one roof. Their views are interconnected to the land and have strong ties to relationships from families, communities, and Nations. Each community has unique values and beliefs based on their Indigenous teachings of health, illness, birth, and death and will differ across our region. Suffering from Canada’s past histories of residential schools, Indian hospitals, and lack of basic care have made Indigenous populations vulnerable, with many unmet basic health needs and medical equipment in their communities.

Ethical questions that arise include:

• Having to mediate who the family decision maker will be
• Refusal of traditional items or requests
• Refusing medications based on discrimination
• Ensuring traditional end of life ceremonial requests are approved

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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

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.