Report from Susan Fraser Chair, Board of Directors May, 2014

May is a month of celebration at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC). Several activities in May allow us to acknowledge some of the dedicated individuals who are helping us achieve our vision of Healthy Together.

This includes generous donors – individuals who give with no expectation of the receiver knowing of their donation. They choose to give to the Health Sciences Foundation so that everyone in our community may access the healthcare they need, close to home. Donors contribute to the purchase of leading-edge medical equipment, and make life-saving services like angioplasty possible. For these reasons and more, they have my respect and my gratitude.

We are also celebrating those who retired last year from a variety of areas of TBRHSC. Many retirees provided decades of dedicated service, supporting and contributing to our growth and success. I thank them for their commitment to healthcare, and to our health sciences centre. While their wisdom and experience can never be replaced, we know that they have influenced those who continue their work.

May is also when we celebrate Nurses Week. There are approximately 1,200 nurses on the TBRHSC team – the largest group of employees. Nurses Week provides an opportunity to thank and recognize the devoted, talented and compassionate nurses who work at TBRHSC and make world-class healthcare possible each day. Nurses not only make a difference on a personal level with individual patients and their families, but also in advancing quality, safety and overall program effectiveness.

This is a wonderful reminder that the best healthcare is delivered by teams of dedicated individuals. Despite the pressures of overcapacity, it’s the dedication of the many integral members of the healthcare team that allow us to overcome these challenges and still provide excellent care to patients and families.

Because of these combined efforts, we are well on our way to completing 85% of our very ambitious Strategic Plan 2015 – a Plan that continues to provide guidance to TBRHSC as an emerging academic health sciences centre.

This month, TBRHSC will report to our 5 Partners in Healthcare on the Strategic Plan 2015. Policy Makers, Health Professionals, Academic Institutions, Health Managers and community representatives will provide feedback on our progress in achieving Strategic Plan activities for year three. This is an important part of our commitment to engagement, transparency and accountability. I am grateful to our partners for their ongoing interest and input. We are healthy together.

Respectfully,

Susan Fraser

TBRHSC Board Chair