May 9, 2007

Message from: Ron Nelson, Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

As this fiscal year begins, I am excited to hear that the Federal and Provincial Governments are soon going to make significant funding announcements regarding TBRHSC. These couldn’t come at a better time. We are excited about all of our patient care initiatives as we build partnerships with the public and private sectors to provide world-class healthcare. As molecular researchers develop cardiac and cancer breakthrough treatments and technologies, and Coronary Angioplasty saves lives, we are positioned to move healthcare to new levels of excellence.

In the meantime, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre signed the Hospital Accountability Agreement with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). The Agreement is comprehensive. It establishes base-line guidelines for funding that the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) will use to assist us with our future plans for delivering acute care. Even so, as our Corporate Strategic Plan is implemented, there are a number of outstanding issues that need to be addressed.

Among them, is our desire to have a competitive edge when it comes to finding, recruiting, and retaining healthcare professionals. This will take innovative funding arrangements with the MOHLTC because physicians are not covered under the LHIN agreements. In my recent experience as your Board Chair, my view is that there have been times of unnecessary challenges as we attempt to procure funding for what we think are important healthcare services. These are services that people would otherwise have to travel great distances to receive. Our competitive edge will be achieved when we establish a mutual understanding of need and subsequent funding, with Ministry of Health officials.

Interestingly, because of our capacity to maintain short wait times for patients, George Smitherman, Minister of Health, visited us to announce funding to double our cases of cataract surgery. This is significant as we address a major issue among our patients waiting for eye care. Minister Smitherman is showing some funding favour toward us these days; we understand that a special TBRHSC Angioplasty media announcement will be made soon.

On another matter, we are planning to proceed with a capital expansion program within our facility to accommodate physicians and students as part of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine requirements to accommodate on-site acute care training. Most of the project planning is complete and construction is expected to begin soon. The timeline to complete this task is short.

I want to address one other matter regarding “best practice” patient care. Our whole organization is focused on this, including the Board of Directors. In fact, one of the things that I like about our TBRHSC Board is that our members are eager to get better at what they are mandated to do as part of the overall patient plan of care. We recently met to explore new “teamwork” strategies. As you know, Boards are often cobbled together to endorse the status quo. But, not ours. We want to govern well, be highly accountable for our decisions, and work more efficiently and effectively as a team. We are determined to govern unselfishly to serve and partner with each of you.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Ron Nelson, Chair
Board of Directors