2025 Rings in a New Era in Local Healthcare
Published Monday, January 27, 2025
Message from Dr. Stephen Adams
Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
When the ball dropped to usher in 2025, I thought to myself, This is going to be a big year.
Of course, at that point, we were still waiting to see who the Grand Prize winner of the December 50/50 would be – not to mention how big the Grand Prize would get. On January 3, we found out that Natalie and Clem Bigras had won $6,436,355! Not only was that record-breaking in terms of the Thunder Bay 50/50, it was the largest 50/50 prize ever in Ontario beating the Toronto Blue Jays, and the largest hospital 50/50 prize in Canadian history.
If that's not a good omen for the New Year, I don't know what is.
But a record-breaking Grand Prize is just the start. I look back at some key moments in the history of healthcare in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, and I see some striking similarities to what's in store for us in 2025.
Of course, the new Cardiovascular Surgery Unit is closer now than it's ever been, with plans for it to rise in front of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's Main Entrance. The fine details of this long-awaited and complex project are still being finalized, but we eagerly anticipate sharing the news and celebrating with the community and all the donors who have made this dream a reality soon.
Equally visible will be the Phase One Triage renovations to the Emergency Department, which is scheduled to begin this year. This project will greatly improve patient care, flow, and the overall patient experience for everyone who walks through our doors, especially those in most dire need.
Certain years in our history were milestone moments: 2004, the year the Health Sciences Centre first opened. 2007, the year we brought angioplasty services to Thunder Bay for the first time. 2012, when the Exceptional Cancer Care Campaign that helped ensure that more patients got the cancer care they need, right here closer to home. The years that brought us minimally invasive surgery, advanced orthopaedics, robotics, advanced urological techniques available at few other places in the world – the list goes on.
In many ways, the changes we'll see this year will once again mark a new era in healthcare for Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario.
Of course, the common denominator in all these stories is you. You supported the Northern Cancer Fund and the Our Hearts at Home Cardiovascular Campaign. You donated to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation to provide funding for the up-coming comprehensive changes to the Emergency Department. You bought the 50/50 tickets that build so many projects happening at the Hospital while making Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw the success it is today.
I can't wait to see what you help build next.
Here's wishing us all a prosperous and healthy 2025!
- Dr. Stephen Adams