Board Chair Message - March 2005

I have come to appreciate just how good our healthcare workers are. Simple lip service doesn’t do it. The occasional celebration for meritorious service isn’t enough either, although it is essential. Rather, these people need to be recognized as professionals of the first order. They are tireless in the line of duty, unyielding to pressure. I have watched it, first hand. How do they do it day in and day out? Seeing it all, from birth to death, they are longsuffering, considerate, and compassionate.

We expect so much from them, all the time. It is a wonder that healthcare careers last so long. There is a deeper reason for it, I believe. The healthcare workers at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre don’t have careers in the way you and I might think about it. It is more of a life, maybe even a lifestyle. No matter how busy, they demonstrate through patient care, their love for their work.

In addition to carrying on with day to day activities, for example, I have observed our staff accept the tremendous rigours of preparing for Accreditation. It is an activity that measures how well we deliver patient care. It takes months of analysis and preparation of reports following endless meetings to get ready for three days of intense review. Accreditors assess our delivery of healthcare from top to bottom. Everything is surveyed. At the end of the process, our team of healthcare workers finds out how accurately we have assessed our performance and how well we compare to generally accepted standards. Accreditation is not taken lightly. It is a reflection of our performance that speaks to necessary improvements and acceptance of a job well done.

Another example of excellence and due diligence is the move this week of the Forensic Program from the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital to our facility. The move went seamlessly. We formed partnerships with the staff at the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital and St. Joseph’s Care Group, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care - along with related government agencies, to present a new model of care. Our psychiatrists report that the patients are secure and comfortable. We know that we will be successful. Once again, we will set new standards in care in Ontario.

Furthermore, a lot of effort has gone into the plan to balance our budget. Staff members from every Department have been involved. It has been an impressive exercise as hundreds of ideas to save money have been forwarded.

One more thing: the Flu season is demonstrating how fragile we all are. It is also showing me how careful and considerate people are by accepting that various restrictions on visitation privileges are goodwill gestures that are best for everyone. The cycle of care, though, never ceases as our care providers help restore the health of in-patients.

Therefore, on behalf of the Board of Governors of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, I want to express appreciation to our healthcare workers for continuing to achieve such a high standard of care.

Sincerely,

Ron Nelson, Chair
Board of Governors

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