September 12, 2007

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

In June, when the Annual Meeting of the Corporation reviewed last year’s activities, members left the meeting thinking that our teams of healthcare workers have once again gone “above and beyond”. Last year’s activities yielded an impressive list of accomplishments.

But already, as I review my notes from activities this summer, it amazes me how much has again been accomplished, in just a couple of months.

Following the Federal Government’s funding announcement in support of the Molecular Medicine Research Centre (MMRC) in July, last week, our Provincial Government fulfilled its commitment of almost fifteen million dollars to the project. All the support, including that from our City, establishes the Research Centre as a world leader through our partnerships with Philips Corporation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Lakehead University. We are excited that the recruitment of leading research scientists is underway. We are positioned to create an economic and healthcare environment that will contribute to objectives that will have impact beyond Northwestern Ontario. The future looks very promising.

We had great news when we received approval to offer Stand-Alone Angioplasty service. It has been noted that we are a rare location in Canada to offer this service because of our smaller population. It is a tribute to our teams of healthcare leaders that we have been given this opportunity to serve the cardiac needs of our patients.

Dr. Gordon Porter, Chief of Staff, reports that as services expand, there are also accompanying human resource challenges. However, as our reputation as a world-class facility grows, we are becoming a sought-after destination for physicians.

This summer as well, Ron Saddington, President and CEO, was invited to Glasgow, Scotland to receive a significant leadership award. In their world-wide media release, The International Academy of Design and Health stated, “This award, presented for the first time, provides special recognition to a Visionary Leader who embraces the vital role of design in the build environment by creating a health-supportive organizational culture”. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I congratulate Ron Saddington for his exceptional world-class leadership.

Congratulations to the teams of healthcare workers, who continue to make us all proud to be a part of something great. Little did we know even a couple of years ago how impressive our list of accomplishments would be in such a short period of time. Our challenge is to keep “working together to achieve our goals”. I know that we will do that.

The Board looks forward to a great year and the opportunity to serve you. As always, thank you for your continued support.

Ron Nelson, Chair
Board of Directors