Board Chair Message - June 2010

The Annual General Meeting of the corporate members of TBRHSC will be held on June 17th. This important corporate meeting marks our responsibility to report to our members on activities from the previous year and to consider new members for the Board of Directors. General members may seek a deeper understanding of the reports through “questions from the floor”. It is important to note that many of the people that come to the Annual General Meeting also serve as Volunteers at TBRHSC. I pay special tribute to them. These folks invest many hours in our organization serving in our culture of Patient and Family Centred Care. They bring a variety of special skills to us, honed after a lifetime of serving in other capacities. We literally could not provide the care that we do without them; volunteers are integral to the successful achievement of our goals.

In 2006, we established lofty goals as the TBRHSC Board of Directors embarked on a four-year strategic plan to change the way we deliver acute care to our city and region. As we assess our fiscal year ending March 31st, it is remarkable to note our accomplishments. In four years of fulfilling our incrementally attained goals, we have moved to a level of performance that sees us as a model of excellence to others. We have moved from community hospital status to an academic and research based health sciences centre. We have established a research institute that is attracting scientists from around the world. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine has found a home with us as medical students receive training. We have partnered with major academic, medical, research and private organizations enabling us to pursue goals open to few others. We have integrated cancer care, moved to stand-alone angioplasty, have a large renal service that includes satellite centres as well as patients trained to do their own dialysis at home. We have won national awards for remote care through Telemedicine. We have maintained high standards of Emergency acute care in the busiest single-site department in the province and probably country, while also caring for many of our inpatients through the development of our Hospitalist Program.

One of our greatest challenges has been to learn how to deal with distance and appropriate care. Thanks to innovation and investment, our area is now well-connected to the rest of Ontario. In our case, adversity has worked to our advantage. Consequently, we have developed strategies of care that are “best-practice” in healthcare. Congratulations to all of our physicians, staff, and volunteers who share our passion to provide the best acute care possible.

Before I close, I want to say that TBRHSC has enjoyed over a decade of great leadership from Ron Saddington. He has set a vision for care that we have grown to greatly appreciate. As you might expect, members of the Board of Directors often need professional counsel and insight into highly complex issues. Ron has lead with great understanding. He has delivered on his promises for which we all owe a great deal of gratitude. His retirement this year leaves a legacy that we will not forget.

Finally, my time as a member of the Board of Directors has expired. I have sat on the Board for nine years including two as Chair. It has been a privilege to be a part of this great organization. I am looking forward to spending more time with my family.

Thank you for your continued support.

Ingrid Parkes, Chair
Board of Directors

Back to Board Messages