TBRHSC Board Chair's Report (October 2025)
Published Monday, October 6, 2025
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's Board Chair, Patricia Lang, shares some key updates, successes and reflections from the most recent Board of Directors meeting
Welcome back. I hope that you had the opportunity to enjoy a restful and rejuvenating summer break. Fall brings with it new opportunities and renewed momentum, and I'm confident that together with staff, professional staff, learners and volunteers, we will continue to advance the goals of our Hospital and the health of the communities we serve.
As the Board reconvenes, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for our board members continued commitment to the governance and strategic oversight of our institution. Before the summer break, our Hospital celebrated another successful year at the Annual Meeting of the Corporation in June. I'm pleased to announce the return of Christine Bates, Charles Campbell, Dr. Andrew Dean, Kimberly Ferris, Michael Pelletier, James Peotto, Matt Simeoni, Joy Wakefield, and Gord Wickham to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's Board. Joining as new members are Matthew Aiken and Marla Morrison. Jesse Fiddler was appointed to a two-year term as the new Community Member on the Resource Planning Committee.
We bid farewell to Douglas Judson who, during his two terms with the Board of Directors honoured us with his passion and dedication to the Hospital and to the region.
The Board includes the ex-officio Directors Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO; Dr. Armour Boake, President, Professional Staff Association; Dr. Michael Green, Dean, President and CEO, NOSM University; Dr. Bradley Jacobson, Chief of Staff; and Adam Vinet, Chief Nursing Executive.
Over the summer, the Hospital officially broke ground on construction for its new Cardiovascular Surgery Program. Hospital staff, health care partners, community donors, and government representatives were onsite to recognize this long-anticipated moment and to celebrate the beginning of construction of more than 76,000 square feet of new and renovated clinical space. This program is the first of its kind in Northwestern Ontario and is being developed in partnership with University Health Network's Peter Munk Cardiac Centre to ensure the highest standards of care. When complete, the program will include 14 new cardiovascular surgery inpatient beds. This marks a major step forward in providing access to life-saving care for people in the region.
With the new season upon us, the recently released 2024-25 Annual Report outlines the progress achieved over the past year as we continue to advance the Hospital's Strategic Plan 2026. This year, a video highlighting the strategic priority Patient Experience (https://bit.ly/SP2026-Patient-Experience) demonstrates our ongoing commitment to delivering compassionate, patient-centred, and high-quality care that reflects the diverse needs of patients and families across Northwestern Ontario.
Throughout September our Hospital's Indigenous Collaboration, Equity and Inclusion portfolio organized many events to honour residential school survivors and to underscore the importance of Truth and Reconciliation. Events included displaying the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Community panels, a beading opportunity for staff, and an educational session with Elder and Residential School Survivor Peter Sackaney. As part of our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, and the 94 Calls to Action, our Hospital also published our second annual report outlining the past year's progress on the Calls to Action and our next steps. We remain committed to promoting transparency in our Calls to Action and to continue to work towards creating an environment of inclusion, equity and compassion at our Hospital.
This month will mark 16 years of Sharing and Caring Together. This a week-long event demonstrating our successes in patient and family-centred care will culminate in an exhibition which displays some of the initiatives developed to continue to deliver the highest quality of care to patients and families. It is truly incredible to witness the dedication and commitment of our staff as they continue to improve the patient and family experience.
In addition, this month is the annual Luncheon of Hope, a fundraising event hosted by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation in support of advancing care for patients with breast cancer. The funds raised at this annual event enables our Hospital to purchase state-of-the-art equipment to provide exceptional diagnostic services and care for our patients who are fighting breast cancer and their families. I would like to express my gratitude to the Foundation for organizing the event and to the sponsors and donors for their attendance and support. Through these events, we continue to expand on the latest diagnostic and treatment options for the many patients who need quality cancer care close to home