March, 2010

Message from: Ingrid Parkes, Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

March marks the end of our corporate year. We have had a great year. In addition, our corporate team of healthcare providers has accomplished our long-term Strategic Plan goals set out in 2006. It was a four-year plan designed to address Teaching and Research, Organizational Transformation, Regional Service Integration, and Quality and Safe Patient Care (TORQ). I feel that we need to be reminded of our status four years ago, and celebrate our progress.

We are now an academic health sciences centre. Medical school, nursing, and technical students are using our intellectual and capital resources to prepare themselves for careers in healthcare. As well, our Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute is gaining traction on a global scale as leading scientists are joining us to focus on three key areas: imaging-guided interventions, bio-marker exploration, and advanced detection. I don’t purport to understand the gravity of all of this except to say that people around the world are acknowledging that something really special is going on in Thunder Bay. To be a part of this is fantastic!

Patient and Family Centred Care is being embraced and as a result is changing the way we care for people. It is a fundamental shift. PFCC Commitment Boards are being signed throughout the facility. Even our Patient and Family Advisors are signing. They are invaluable to our understanding of proper care. I pay tribute to these people because they are serving our organization as importantly as anyone. They make a big difference.

Furthermore, congratulations to the Emergency Department. The latest data shows that we have seen over 100,000 patients for the calendar year 2009. I understand that there is no other ED in Canada that is annually busier than ours.

I know that significant central bargaining is going on with regards to various contracts. The negotiating climate is charged because of the economic recession. I trust that everyone will be respectful of our tremendous healthcare system. We are dependent on each other.

Our Annual Meeting is taking place on June 17th. Since I am completing my third, three-year term, I will not be returning next year. I want to congratulate our current members for a job well-done. Great things are happening because our Board is so progressive and cohesive. Furthermore, without all of our really great staff, we would not be where we are today. We are working as a team. We are dedicated.

Thank you for your continued support.

Ingrid Parkes, Chair
Board of Directors