with Jane Curtis, CEO
Construction has been a bit of a buzz word these past few months. With three major capital projects underway the term has been trending at almost every meeting I attend. This past month I had an opportunity to put on some safety gear and tour the construction site of the new Portage Regional Health Centre.
For those of you that live or work in Portage la Prairie, the construction of the new hospital is something that cannot be missed. It is one of the first things you see as you enter the community and the sounds of the busy construction site can be heard and seen from nearly every corner of the city.
As I approached the site I couldn’t help but feel amazed by the sheer scale of the operation. The number of different trades and materials on site and the speed of progress on all fronts. It is truly something to see the inner workings of such a project and to be able to visualize the future of this new state of the art health centre.
While standing on the second-floor mezzanine looking down at the expansive atrium with rays of sunshine beaming down like spotlights – I couldn’t help but imagine what that space will be in a few short years…
A beautiful and welcoming health centre that is every bit reflective of the crescent lake it oversees and the diverse setting to which it inhabits. I look forward to seeing that vision become a reality.
Entrance
Mezzanine
Kevin Davis, Project Manager-TMO
Space
Regional Lead – Medical Services & Chief Medical Officer
Extending a warm welcome to
Dr. Aly Dhala
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Aly Dhala has accepted the position of Regional Lead – Medical Services and Chief Medical Officer of Southern Health-Santé Sud.
Dr. Dhala, a Certified Health Executive (CHE) and Family Physician with a certificate of added competence in Emergency Medicine (CCFP-EM), has been an integral part of our organization since September 2014. Based out of CW Wiebe Medical Centre and Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC), Dr. Dhala has a broad practice in the areas of primary care, hospital, emergency and long-term care. He also works as a Family Physician in Oncology through the BTHC Community Cancer Care Program. Dr. Dhala is active as a preceptor for the Clinical Teaching Unit at BTHC, training medical students and residents in Family Medicine.
Dr. Dhala has been a leader at CW Wiebe Medical Centre and a longstanding member of its Executive. Since April 2021, he has served as the Chief of Staff at BTHC, overseeing medical services and fostering collaboration amongst the local clinics and our medical teams. He helped navigate the challenges brought on by the pandemic and has led system change in the delivery of acute care services at BTHC.
In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Dhala was honoured in 2023 as one of Doctors Manitoba’s Top 40 under 40 in Medicine.
Dr. Dhala’s leadership skills and experience in health care will certainly contribute to his new role. He will start a gradual increase in duties and responsibilities over a three-month period of transition, starting April 1, 2024. His office location will be determined at a later date.
Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Dhala. We look forward to working together to achieve our mission of partnering with our communities to provide safe, accessible and sustainable people-centred health care.
Submitted by: Jane Curtis, CEO
Celebrating All Administrative Professionals
Thank You to our Administrative Professionals!
Merci à notre personnel administratif!
April 24, 2024, is Administrative Professionals Day. An opportunity to recognize the immense contributions made by our administrative professionals – the backbones of each of our offices, the first people our communities see as they walk into our clinics, hospitals, personal care homes, and offices. Administrative professionals ensure things runs smoothly and play a big role in the overall function of our organization.
On April 24 – and every day – we encourage everyone to acknowledge their contributions and to make all of our administrative professionals feel valued for their hard work. It’s as simple as saying: THANK YOU, MERCI!
Keep an eye out on Southern Health-Santé Sud’s social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to see some familiar faces on this day.
Happy Administrative Professionals Day!
Submitted by: Human Resources
HandyAudit Hand Hygiene Education | Final Draw Winner
The final draw has been done for staff who completed the HandyAudit Hand Hygiene education prior to March 31, 2024, and a prize will be sent to Krishia Banagan at their site!
Southern Health-Santé Sud has rolled out new hand hygiene auditing electronic software. HandyAudit is a premiere hand hygiene auditing tool with technology that takes a story-based, evidence-based approach to hand hygiene behaviour, and removes the subjectivity inherent in traditional auditing tools.
This education will assist staff with changing their Hand Hygiene practices so that they are successful when audited via the electronic HandyAudit method.
Submitted by: Staff Development/Infection Prevention & Control
National Volunteer Week
National Volunteer Week is April 14-20, 2024 this year – a perfect time to recognize and celebrate Southern Health-Santé Sud’s volunteers!
In honour of this year’s Theme of #EveryMomentMatters – please take a moment to thank our volunteers, because they are always willing to lend a hand, when it matters most.
To our volunteers, THANK YOU for sharing your time, skills, empathy and creativity with our staff, patients and the community as a whole. You are making such a difference.
Each volunteer will be entered into a draw to win a prize, and will be announced in the next staff communiqué. Happy National Volunteer Week!
Submitted by: Human Resources
World Kidney Month
BTHC dialysis team standing in front of their kidney word cloud!
In celebration of World Kidney Month in March the dialysis team at Boundary Trails Health Centre put their creative heads together to generate a piece of art reflecting their team values. The team participated in a value assessment that lead to the generation of a word cloud that includes both the Southern Health-Santé Sud values and the additional values of the dialysis team. The final product was printed as a beautiful piece of art in the shape of a kidney.
Submitted by: Carolyn Friesen, BTHC
NEW | Compliments & Concerns Management Policy
Now we are able to document both compliments and concerns as feedback from our patients, families, members of the public etc. about their healthcare experience. We have also simplified the forms to make it easier for people as a one stop shop. You no longer need to worry about the “level” of complaint but follow the new process outlined in the one checklist!
Check out the NEW and revised Policy and Voiceover developed for educational purposes!
COMPLIMENTS should be shared with staff and considered for staff news submission. Individual compliments can be added to staff personnel files.
Submitted by: Quality, Planning & Performance
Spirit Week
April 15 – 19, 2024
Join your teammates and health-care colleagues from across the province as we celebrate your dedication, compassion, and strength during this year’s Spring Spirit Week. Enjoy a week of team-building activities including themed dress up days*, department decorating, contests and voting for your favourite local cultural cuisine. Send us photos of your team spirit and try our Spirit Week Quiz for your chance to win a gift card!
Submitted by: Shared Health
Green Shirt Day
Join the movement…
register your intent to donate at SignUpForLife.ca
This weekend, Southern Health-Santé Sud’s employees were encouraged to wear green in support of organ donor awareness and registration – from the nursing staff at Lorne Memorial Hospital in Swan Lake, to the environmental services team at Hôpital Ste-Anne Hospital and the ultrasound team at Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach, we worked together to raise awareness in the region.
Join the movement by registering your intent to donate at SignUpForLife.ca – Manitoba’s online organ and tissue registry!
Why should you donate? Organ and tissue donation saves lives. An organ transplant is often the only treatment for people with organs that are damaged through injury or disease and who would otherwise die. Skin, bone, eye, and heart valve donations also dramatically change and improve the quality of life for people of all ages. Outcomes continue to improve each year so more and more transplant patients are living longer and healthier lives. More information can be found on www.SignUpforLife.ca
To register, check or update your consent to donate organs and tissue you will need:
- Your health card number (9 digit PHIN)
- Your name as it appears on your health card
- Your date of birth
Register. Tell your family. Be inspired.
Submitted by: Human Resources