Report from Matt Simeoni
Published Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Chair, Board of Directors
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
On behalf of the Board, I extend my appreciation to all Hospital staff and professional staff for an extraordinary response and sacrifice during this pandemic. It cannot be overstated that their dedication is nothing short of remarkable. Despite intense pressure, long hours and frequent changes, our team proves itself – over and over again – to be outstanding. The Board is extremely proud of their efforts and dedication.
Through strong leadership, creativity and sheer determination, the commitment to and delivery of safe, quality care never waivered. Some of the countless examples of this include: The Purchasing Department navigated shortages and delays to get the critical supplies health care providers needed; The Virtual Care team connected patients with family and loved ones, despite the necessary visitor restrictions that keep them physically apart; The Screening team adapted to constantly changing guidelines while providing a solid line of defense to keep COVID-19 from spreading within our Hospital and endangering our vulnerable patient population. To those teams, and the many others throughout our Hospital, I am grateful and indebted.
I also want to thank community members for minimizing the spread of COVID-19 across Northwestern Ontario. Your sacrifices – closing businesses, accepting to wear masks, cancelling gatherings and trips outside the region as well as practicing physical distancing from those you love – are not in vain.
It’s important that we maintain our vigilance. I ask everyone to continue to treat this threat to our health and safety seriously. Practice physical distancing. If you’re sick, or have consistent flu or COVID-19 symptoms, stay home and self-isolate until your condition improves. If you’ve recently travelled outside of Canada, follow the guidelines on self-quarantine for 14 days. Practice proper hand hygiene. If you’re out in public, or coming to our Hospital, wear a mask. Together, we will keep everyone throughout all of Northwestern Ontario healthy and safe.