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Staff Announcement | Gladstone Health Centre

It is with mixed feelings that I share that Shirley Guenther has announced her retirement as the Manager, Health Services for Gladstone Health Centre, effective December 13, 2024.  Shirley has been in the position for the past 10 years and has truly demonstrated service excellence!  She is always such an ambassador for the community and the region; we will miss her wealth of experience.  Best wishes for the most enjoyable retirement with time now to do all of your favorite things!

I am pleased to announce that Laura Marchant has accepted the position of Manager, Health Services – LTC Administration for Gladstone Health Centre.  Laura has her Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing and is familiar with Gladstone, having worked previously as the Manager for Third Crossing Manor.  Laura will begin orientation on a part time basis starting on November 6, 2024, with the transition into full time hours effective November 25th.  I am looking forward to working with her in this new role.

Please join me in congratulating both Shirley and Laura on the new chapters in their lives!

Submitted by:  Marianne Woods, Director, Health Services – Personal Care Homes West
For more information

Cybersecurity Month Week 5- Lend a Hand to the Most Helpful Generation

Graphic with female showing a proactive generation

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, and we are proud to be a Get Cyber Safe champion, working to help our staff stay safe online. Each week in October, keep an eye on this newsletter, or our staff intranet for tools and tips you can use to stay safe online.

Week 5 celebrates the most helpful generation. Roll up your sleeves and help pass along the information you’ve learned over the month on our cybersecurity webpage with your coworkers, families, and friends. Are you cyber aware? It’s your last chance to take our quiz and find out!

Submitted by: Shared Health

Clinical Microbiology

REMINDER: Shared Health Clinical Laboratories Do Not Split Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples Received for SARS-CoV-2 Only or SARS-CoV-2/Influenza A & B/RSV Quadruplex GeneXpert® Testing for Additional Respiratory Pathogen Testing.

Background Information:
For selected patients, molecular testing for respiratory viruses beyond SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may be indicated. This testing is primarily performed by Cadham Provincial Laboratory (CPL) using their RV-16 respiratory virus panel or is a send out test ordered through CPL.

Reminder:
If RV-16 respiratory virus panel or send out testing is ordered through CPL, a separate nasopharyngeal (NP) swab and separate CPL requisition must be sent to CPL for this testing. Shared Health Clinical Laboratories are not able to split and forward NP samples to CPL or elsewhere once SARS-CoV-2 Only or SARS-CoV-2/Influenza A & B/RSV Quadruplex GeneXpert® testing has been performed.

Submitted by: Shared Health Diagnostic Services

For more info. contact:  Dr. James Karlowsky, Medical Director, Clinical Microbiology, Shared Health, 204-237-2105 or email
Joelle Carlson, Technical Director, Clinical Microbiology, Shared Health 204-237-2073 or email

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Chickenpox/Shingles Screening Checklist

The Chickenpox/Shingles Screening Checklist is a stand-alone form created to assist staff in identifying and managing possible chickenpox/shingles cases in our facilities/community. The form can be used by staff but is not required. The information gathered from the use of the form may assist in diagnosis and treatment of cases, thus providing safe care for both staff and those they are caring for. Please note that there is a link to the Chickenpox and Shingles education presentation on the form and likewise, a link to the form in the education presentation.

Submitted by: Shelly Rempel, Infection Control Coordinator
For more information, contact email

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Canadian Patient Safety Week | Webinars

What comes to mind when you think about health care harm?

Let’s broaden our understanding of safety in health care, together!

Next week is Canadian Patient Safety Week!  Please see below list of free webinars available.

REGISTER for the webinars. Or for more details visit Healthcare Excellence Canada.

Submitted by:

Tara Roberts & Pam Gunn, Patient Safety Coordinators

For more information contact: Tara via email or Pam via email

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Capacity Management Protocol

Effective November 30 Southern Health-Santé Sud (SH-SS) will be implementing a Capacity Management Protocol (CMP) based on Shared Health’s ‘Manitoba Capacity Management Standard’. The overarching goal is to facilitate cooperation between all stakeholders within SH-SS to support a system approach to capacity management that is driven by real-time objective data and risk quantification, which includes utilization of the Provincial Capacity Management Dashboard. Please see Briefing Note for more details including links to virtual education sessions which outline the target audience and dates/times of sessions.

Submitted by:

Melissa Schmidt, Director, Acute Care – Projects and Standards
For more info. contact:  204-903-7630 or email

Drug Shortage: pantoprazole 40 mg injection Foreign Import

To:  Physician, Nursing and Pharmacy Staff

Health Canada has approved the temporary import and sale of US English labeled FRESENIUS KABI vials. The product is considered interchangeable with the Canadian authorized product. Prescribers are asked to refer to the Canadian product monograph as needed.

Supply of pantoprazole 40 mg injection is tenuous, and our current inventory will not meet usage demand without conservation measures. 

Conservation measures:

  1. Prescribers need to assess patients on pantoprazole IV therapy to step down to oral therapy as soon as clinically feasible.
  2. For patients with an active gastrointestinal bleed, pantoprazole 40 mg IV twice daily for 72 hours should be prescribed, rather than running a 24-hour continuous IV infusion.
  3. For acutely bleeding patients who have been scoped and found not to have a bleeding peptic ulcer, they should immediately be stepped down to an oral proton pump inhibitor.
  4. Famotidine injection (H2 receptor blocker) supply is tenuous but remains an option.
  5. Esomeprazole-MUPS are freely available for patients who are unable to swallow tablets whole or with tube feeds.

Oral pantoprazole tablets remain freely available.

Due to the pantoprazole injection shortage, alternate brands have been brought in; there may be different brands in use within the same facility. Please note that the JAMP brand pantoprazole injection is INCOMPATIBLE with the MINI-BAG PLUS system.

Thank you for your support of the ongoing efforts to manage drug supply issues. For questions, please contact your site pharmacy or please contact Rizwan Ahmed or Libby Gair.

Submitted by:  Rizwan Ahmed, Director – Pharmacy & Libby Gair, Drug Distribution Supervisor

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Drug Shortage Alert: megestrol 40 mg and 160 mg tablets

To:  Physician, Nursing and Pharmacy Staff

Megestrol 40 mg and 160 mg are on back order and stock may deplete prior to its return.

For oncology indications please contact Cancer Care Manitoba to discuss with the applicable practitioner alternative therapy.

Details regarding stock depletion will be sent on a site-specific basis.

Thank you for your support of the ongoing efforts to manage drug supply issues.

For questions, please contact your site pharmacy or please contact Rizwan Ahmed or Libby Gair.

Submitted by:  Rizwan Ahmed, Director – Pharmacy & Libby Gair, Drug Distribution Supervisor

Central Venous Access in LTC

This education is to assist nurses with the care and maintenance of CVADs for a resident in long term care. Only the sections applicable to that resident need to be completed dependent on type of device in place.

Central Venous Access in Long Term Care

Healthier people. Healthier communities. Thriving together.