Report from Nadine Doucette

Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

It gives me great pleasure to offer this first report of my second term as Chair of the Board of Directors for Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (the Hospital). It is an honour to serve with the dedicated volunteer Board of Directors that firmly believe in our Hospital’s commitment to Patient and Family Centred Care. As Directors representing the population of Northwestern Ontario, we regularly hear from our community members about the quality of care, compassion and energy put forth by the staff, professional staff, volunteers and donors who make us leaders in Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC).

The annual PFCC Sharing & Caring event, held recently, provided an opportunity to showcase our PFCC successes, and celebrate new initiatives. We are involving patients and family members in clinical and administrative decisions like nowhere else in Ontario. Our Board of Directors applies the PFCC philosophy to ensure that, even at the governance level, decisions are unfailingly focused on the best outcomes for patients and families. I would like to acknowledge Ms. Anita Jean who has embraced the PFCC philosophy and expanded her role by volunteering as a Patient Family Advisor (PFA). As a PFA, Anita will share her perspective to positively impact the overall patient experience. She has also agreed to participate as a valuable member of the Francophone Advisory Committee.

At the request of the Research Ethics Board (REB), the Governance Committee was asked to expand its membership to address an ever increasing volume of research project application reviews. Two additional members are required on the REB, which brings the total REB membership from 7 to 9 members. I want to take this opportunity to thank Gary Whitney who kindly accepted to represent the Board on the Selection Committee this summer. The Committee interviewed several prospective candidates to fill the REB vacancies that are submitted for approval at the October Board meeting.

In the last few weeks, several members of the Board were interviewed by the Hay Group consultants as part of the operational review process; the consultants were particularly interested in understanding our Board’s governance processes as they relate to our clinical and financial performance governance oversight. I would like to recognize Grant Walsh’s contribution to this review as he serves as our representative on the Operational Review Committee.

A sub-committee of the Quality Committee of the Board chaired by Dick Mannisto met in the last few months to review our compliance with Accreditation Canada’s current Governance Standards in anticipation of the next accreditation survey in 2018. The Committee will be tabling a compliance report and recommendations in the fall so we have time to address any compliance issue well in advance of the next survey.

As part of our Indigenous Health Strategic Direction, I want to recognize Ms. Georjann Morisseau’s support in identifying activities and priorities that will be most impactful in achieving our goals relative to that population. Georjann has provided guidance to support Indigenous Health initiatives, including the introduction of an Indigenous Health update as a standing item of Board of Directors meeting agendas beginning in November. She has also become a member of the Indigenous Advisory Committee.