February, 2010

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

Healthcare is “top of mind” for all of us. At TBRHSC, with the recession ravaging the provincial treasury, and with our corporate year-end just one month away, members of the Board of Directors are anticipating serious discussion regarding acute care services if provincial budget allocations are reduced.

It is a pretty simple scenario. If we don’t have adequate funding, we won’t have the capacity to present services. That means that all of us in some way, whether personally, or through family and friends, will be affected.

There was a time when financial resources were available to meet our collective growing needs. However, that is no longer true. So, some difficult choices will have to be made. We are seeking the counsel of many people, as we plan for our future.

Through it all, we continue to forge ahead with a number of initiatives. These include Patient and Family Centred Care, and an expanded academic medical learner environment for students from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Lakehead University and Confederation College, among others. Furthermore, the Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute (TBRRI) has announced plans for a Cyclotron through partnerships with private and public constituencies. It would be so satisfying to know that we can manufacture our own isotopes for our patients rather than being reliant on an external source as most other healthcare institutions are.

Members of the Board of Directors are also supporting other corporate initiatives such as a second Cardiac Catheterization Lab for Angioplasty needs, a Bariatric Surgery Program, and the recruitment and retention of Specialist Physicians who embrace a Model of Care that is collaborative. It is a Model where researchers, preceptors, clinicians, learners and other healthcare providers work together in the interest of Patient and Family Centred Care. It is consistent with our desire to be a world leader in acute care.

One more thing: we are going to see an increasing number of TBRHSC staff retirements in the next few years. This means employment opportunities for a lot of people. It also means a lot of skilled experienced people will be missing from our ranks. We are positioning ourselves to be ready to meet that challenge, which will be huge.

This month, we celebrate our sixth anniversary of moving to our new site. We continue to be the envy of many who wish they had made plans to build new when we did.

Congratulations everyone!

Ingrid Parkes, Chair
Board of Directors