Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control
An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared on 1A Medical Inpatient Unit (FRONT HALL) as of September 6, 2022. All restrictions are in place.
Please share this information with the appropriate staff.
As always, our number one priority is the safety of patients and their families, staff and visitors. All patients identified as having an exposure to this outbreak will require isolation with appropriate additional precautions.
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, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre at 684-6094
The PKD Foundation of Canada and TAP are pleased to partner together to enhance and expand kidney patient support programs nationwide. Please see the poster below for the opportunity to learn about TAP’s Ambassador Directory, and their newest online service, ‘Patients Seeking Donors.’
Shared on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control
An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared on the 3A Surgical Inpatient Unit as of August 11, 2022. All restrictions are in place.
Please share this information with the appropriate staff.
As always, our number one priority is the safety of patients and their families, staff and visitors. All patients identified as having an exposure to this outbreak will require isolation with appropriate additional precautions.
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, please contact Infection Prevention and Control at 684-6094.
Please note on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 from 22:00 – 23:00 EST software maintenance for printing services is being performed. As such, printing from applications such as Word, Excel, Groupwise, and Adobe will be unavailable. Adhoc Meditech Report Printing to local printers will also be unavailable.
Printing label and documents from Meditech Print Lists such as HCIS ALL and SJCG Print will be unaffected.
Please see notice linked below for more information.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact TBRHSC IT Service Desk at help@tbh.net or 807-684-6411.
Room construction for the MRI Equipment Replacement project in Diagnostic Imaging (DI) is nearing completion.
Throughout the day on Wednesday, August 3, the new Siemens MRI magnet and related equipment will be delivered and offloaded outside of G-Door. The magnet will be brought into the MRI suite through an opening in the exterior wall that is adjacent to G-door, while some of the equipment will be uncrated and brought in through G-Door. Please avoid using G-Door unless necessary.
On Thursday August 4, from approximately 9:00 – 9:30 a.m., the new Siemens MRI chiller will be delivered and offloaded outside of G-Door. During this time the G-Door as well as the ambulance bay exit doors, both vehicular and pedestrian, will not be accessible.
On both days please adhere to all signage/caution tape that will be posted in this area by the contractor to delineate the construction zone. Do not enter the construction zone for any reason.
Dolores Mechtab was a dedicated volunteer who spent over ten years in leadership roles at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Dolores began volunteering at the Hospital in 2004 and was an active member of the Volunteer Association Board, serving two terms as President. During her Presidency, Dolores was instrumental in organizing many fundraisers and events. The proceeds from these events were to purchase needed equipment for patient care.
From 2007 until 2022, Dolores was the Service Leader in Surgical Day Care. As a Service Leader, Dolores ensured that the volunteers were well trained to fulfill their duties. She encouraged teamwork by scheduling regular service meetings where she reviewed and sought input from the other volunteers in the service.
Dolores was well respected by the Surgical Day Care staff and volunteers. Dolores was an excellent role model and through her professionalism, dedication, and compassion, she was a great inspiration to all.
On behalf of the family of Dolores Mechtab, we are deeply saddened by her passing, which happened on Thursday July 28, 2022. Funeral services will be held at the Harbourview Funeral Home on Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 499 Cumberland Street N. The event will be live-streamed and also catered. Feel free to bring flowers, cards, pictures or notes on anything that will help remember her shining spirit. All are welcome to attend the Celebration of Life. For more information on how to access the live-stream, visit https://www.arbormemorial.ca/en/harbourview.
Stella Dolores Mechtab passed away at 84 years at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on July 28, 2022. Born at the McKellar General Hospital in 1937, Dolores is survived by her husband Ahmed Mechtab, her brother Bobby Smith, her sister Mary Anderson, her two children Fatima Mechtab and Hasien Mechtab, her niece Jessica Anderson and nephew James Anderson. She is predeceased by her parents Ellard and Stella Smith.
Dolores Mechtab graduated from McKellar Grad Nursing School in 1959. She moved to California to nurse at the Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City. Dolores had an enormous lust for life and was an avid traveler, working as a nurse throughout various cities within the United States and Canada. Dolores eventually returned to her hometown of Thunder Bay, where she settled in at St. Joseph’s Hospital Care Group to continue her nursing career and to raise a family.
She possessed a generous spirit, contributing much of her time towards volunteering and donating towards many charitable causes. Dolores Mechtab was also an active member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, where she volunteered and socialized with other members who became lifelong friends. Dolores also loved playing bridge and valued her fellow bridge community as much as the game itself.
Dolores will remain in the hearts of many; she was a shining, positive ray of light to everyone she encountered.
Shared on behalf of Peter Myllymaa – VP Operations, Clinical & Support Services and CFO and Anne-Marie Heron – Executive Director Capital Planning & Operations
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 July 28, 2022 for approximately four hours – starting at 11:00 PM to facilitate reintegration of the fire system as part of the clinical MRI replacement project.
Our Facilities and Security teams will be enacting and overseeing our Fire System Impairment and Fire Watch procedures, as included in our 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 subplan. 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 Allan Korol – Manager Facilities & Biomedical Services – his cell number is 621-0508.
For questions or feedback specific to the Overhead Paging procedure contact Switchboard or Trina Diner.
Stroke is a sudden and life-altering event that may require an extended recovery period. More than 400,000 Canadians are living with the effects of stroke. Family members and caregivers can also be impacted, often taking on supportive roles in the stroke survivor’s recovery.
Support is essential after stroke. Programs are available throughout Northwestern Ontario to keep people affected by stroke and their caregivers connected and engaged as COVID-19 continues in the community.
March of Dimes Canada’s (MODC) After Stroke program provides support to those impacted by stroke. After Stroke connects stroke survivors and their families with personalized stroke recovery and support services, addressing needs and concerns from the time spent in hospital, through the transition home, and back into the community. In Thunder Bay and surrounding area, MODC has a dedicated, local, After Stroke Coordinator, Leanne Johnson. Johnson’s role is vital throughout the recovery journey, supporting navigation, networking, and referrals.
New with the After Stroke program:
Living with Stroke Program – An eight-week program developed for people who have had a stroke and their caregivers. This program will be lead by two trained facilitators to focus on setting individualized goals, sharing experiences, building skills and supporting one another.
In-Person Group Sessions – An opportunity to connect with other stroke survivors through small group sessions offered at Thunder Bay’s MODC site. Upcoming groups scheduled for June 9, 2022 and June 23, 2022. Space is limited.
Virtual Community Conversation – Every Tuesday 1:00 p.m-2:30 p.m. EST, survivors and caregivers from all over Canada meet, share knowledge and resources.
Virtual Aphasia Peer Connect Program – An opportunity for people living with aphasia and other communication disorders to come together, meet new people and stay connected in a peer group setting.
Tech for Good Program – Provides professional assistance to support independent use of a mobile phone and tablet.
There are other programs available, including a variety of options for online support programs, information programs, exercise and movement programs, and social programs. Learn more at www.afterstroke.ca. For more information on After Stroke programs, services, or events, or to register for a program, call Leanne Johnson at (807) 355-5969 or email at ljohnson@marchofdimes.ca.
Other programs supporting stroke survivors and their families in Northwestern Ontario are the Moving on After Stroke (MOST) and the Keep Moving with Stroke programs delivered by St. Joseph’s Care Group. MOST is a Self-Management group that provides 18 sessions of exercise and education over nine weeks. People with stroke who have completed active stroke rehabilitation as well as their caregivers are encouraged to attend. MOST is available in person in Thunder Bay or via telemedicine technology in Northwestern Ontario. Judy Mostow, MOST Volunteer with 16 years lived experience with stroke, enthusiastically endorses the program, “I want to encourage stroke survivors to have HOPE. If you are willing to do the hard work, you can and will see improvements in your abilities to move forward. Also, be patient and when you stop and look back at where you were when the stroke first occurred compared to now, you’ll see that WOW those baby steps really paid off!”
Keep Moving with Stroke (KMWS) is an exercise program running twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursday morning at the Canada Games Complex in Thunder Bay. Everyone participating in the class is a stroke survivor and is required to have an assessment prior to participating to ensure safety. The instructors for the class, Karen Gorst-Vigliarolo and Derek Ortgiese, have been trained to provide exercise instruction to those who are living with stroke and are very dedicated to making the class fun and effective for all. Diane Chase, a long time participant encourages other stroke survivors to join and said “Attending the Keep Moving with Stroke Class motivates me to keep believing I can move forward. Especially this winter it was particularly difficult to motivate myself to get out of the house, and every time I attend the class I feel better.” For more information or to register for these programs, call St. Joseph’s Care group at (807) 343-2431 extension 2537.
For more information on stroke services in Northwestern Ontario, please contact the Northwestern Ontario Regional Stroke Network located at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center, nwostroke@tbh.net or (807) 684-6703.
