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Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences
Centre Releases Aggressive Five Year Plan
 June
8, 2006
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC)
publicly launched its commitment to an aggressive five year
plan for the future of healthcare and academics in our region.
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This Strategic Plan has evolved
over a series of months, through stakeholder, expert,
physician, and staff consultations. The regional community
was engaged, best practices throughout the healthcare
system were examined, and an environmental scan of the
current and projected state of healthcare, including a
critical review of TBRHSC, was undertaken. “Five
years from now, TBRHSC will be recognized as a leader
in healthcare in Canada,” said Ron Nelson, Chair
of the Board of Directors for TBRHSC. “Our Board
endorsed this plan to move forward and transition our
good community hospital into a great academic health sciences
centre.” |
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This researching and planning has led to
this comprehensive five year plan for TBRHSC, with four
strategic priorities of focus; Teaching and Research,
Organizational Transformation, Regional Service Integration,
and Quality Patient Care (TORQ). “Through this exhaustive
exercise, we have realized that we have a responsibility
to our immediate and regional communities to enhance and
polish our region’s healthcare system,” stated
Ron Saddington, President and CEO of TBRHSC. “All
of the areas and investment that we have identified will
enable our organization to achieve its potential. Recognizing
all of the system improvements that we have made to date
only emphasizes that we have been on this path since our
reorganization in 2004. With this strategic plan to guide
us, we are positioning Northwestern Ontario as a hub of
academic and healthcare excellence.” |
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Throughout this process, the focus has
consistently returned to the needs of the patient. The
exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of the system
has been driven with patient-centric concepts that will
ensure that Northwestern Ontario’s system is best
serving the demands of the patient across the entire service
area. “From a patient-needs standpoint, we are very
excited about the direction this strategic plan will take
us,” said Dr. Gordon Porter, Chief of Staff, TBRHSC.
“We are developing solid models for outreach communication,
service delivery and integration of our regional partners,
supported multi-disciplinary teamwork, and continuity
of care. The investments in our physicians and staff will
ensure thorough training, support, and coordinated programs,
with opportunities for advancement, development, and growth
in their disciplines.” |
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As TBRHSC embarks on this pathway, one
of the primary internal supporting programs will be highly
affected by the transition. The Volunteer Association
provides volunteers across the spectrum of the TBRHSC,
and anticipates growth and service expansion as the TBRHSC
implements the TORQ plan. “As the TBRHSC moves forward
with its plan, the demand for volunteer supports will
increase,” said Judy Perrier, President of the Volunteer
Association, TBRHSC. “We will be recruiting more
volunteers to address the needs of the organization, as
we always have. However, we expect that this growth will
attract a greater cross section of volunteer; newly retired
professionals that want to be a part of this evolution,
community members that want to contribute to this new
way of operating, and most of all, young community members
that are perhaps thinking of the healthcare field, and
when they see the excellent facility and regional programs
that we have, will stay in Northwestern Ontario. It’s
an exciting time.” |
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Both of the Foundations in the organization, Thunder Bay
Regional Health Sciences Foundation (TBRHSF), and the
Northern Cancer Research Foundation (NCRF) have also recently
undertaken strategic planning exercises of their own.
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TBRHSF believes its strategic plan supports
the direction taken by TBRHSC, and their fundraising efforts
will be directed to enhance patient care services. “We
believe our Donors and Volunteers will be excited to support
the direction, innovation and change relative to patient
care, research and teaching priorities adopted by TBRHSC,”
stated Petra Kapush, Board Chair, TBRHSF. ”Through
our strategic planning, our Foundation has identified
where we must focus our energies and initiatives to not
only maintain our strong and consistent support of TBRHSC,
but with the help of our community, to actually increase
our support. We are extremely pleased with this new direction
and the proposed future of healthcare in our region.” |
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The NCRF, the sole fundraising arm of Regional
Cancer Care and the progenitor of coordinated cancer research
in Northwestern Ontario, is also extremely excited. “Just
over ten years ago, the NCRF was formed through the efforts
of community volunteers who believed that cancer research,
awareness and care was an inherent necessity for our region,”
said Brian McKinnon, Board Chair, NCRF. “All of
the gifts to the NCRF stay to benefit the residents of
the region, and through these community supports, we have
seen the cancer program grow and develop to a point where
our original vision is close to being realized, and our
recent strategic planning has ensured that the NCRF will
continue to be positioned as a supporting partner for
both the cancer program and TBRHSC. These objective assessments
of program applications and evolutions are absolutely
vital for organizational growth, and through our recent
efforts, we feel that we are collectively working towards
the same objectives for excellence in healthcare and research
in our region.” |
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