Part of the government’s commitment to improving health care involves a “Listening Tour” to obtain insights from health-care staff.

For the next stop on the tour, Premier Wab Kinew, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Bernadette Smith, the minister responsible for mental health, will be visiting Selkirk Mental Health Centre at 825 Manitoba Ave. in Selkirk.

The meeting takes place on Monday, Feb. 5 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in the multi-purpose room of the Tyndall Building. As a frontline health-care member, your thoughts on how to improve our health system are vital. The Selkirk Mental Health Centre listening tour date is open to all staff across the Interlake-Eastern region to attend.

To ensure there is enough space for all attendees to be comfortable during this meeting, please identify the number of people attending to info@ierha.ca at your earliest convenience.

Click here to learn more in a memo from CEO Marion Ellis. 

And be sure to take a few minutes to provide feedback in the EngageMB survey.

Shared Health recognizes Black History Month in February as a time to learn, share and work together towards a culturally safe, inclusive and equitable environment.

Is there a health-care worker in the Black community who you would like to acknowledge for their role as a mentor, educator or trailblazer?

Shared Health encourages you to nominate someone in the Black community who goes above and beyond to care for others and support their team.

The $5 Club is a charitable giving program for Interlake-Eastern RHA employees. Employees who voluntarily register with the program donate $5 every payday to Interlake Eastern Health Foundation. 

This past year, the $5 Club raised $24,500 to fund organizations, programs and initiatives that support the health and well-being of our communities. $5 Club members make all funding decisions for the allocation of funds raised through suggestions of programs and voting.

It’s time for $5 Club members to put forward suggestions for investing the funds raised over the past year — projects in facility, community or our region that would benefit from an investment by our staff.

Make your suggestions via this survey. Feel free to submit as many suggestions as you'd like. If you’d like to see what was funded last year, check out the 2023 wrap-up report.

Please submit all recommendations by Feb. 9. The information that you provide will be shared with all members to inform their vote for programs to receive funding, so please include all pertinent information. 

If you don't have access to a computer to complete the survey, please call 1-855-347-8500 and corporate office reception staff will work with you to complete the survey. 

Doctors Manitoba is encouraging Manitobans to commit to getting healthy with the added bonus of a chance to win six months of free groceries ($5,000 value).

Visit GettingHealthy.ca for health-improving tips from physicians who encourage you to move more, reduce stress, eat healthier, get better sleep and catch up health screenings and immunizations!

Click here for more info and to enter the contest!

Selkirk Regional Health Centre is expanding to add 30 more beds in a new inpatient unit.

To connect the new inpatient unit to the stairwell in the Med/Surgery ward, the stairwell will be shut down for approximately five weeks starting Jan. 22 as we grow to serve our patients better.

Learn more.

Funding for youth mental health

The Manitoba government is increasing funding to three successful programs that support youth across the province.

Learn more.

Investments in mental health in Manitoba ag sector

The governments of Canada and Manitoba through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership are investing $450,000 over three years toward the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program to provide access to professional counselling services to Manitoba’s agricultural community.

Read more.

Increase in invasive meningococcal disease and Group A strep infections

Public health officials with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care have identified a recent increase in the number of invasive meningococcal disease and invasive group A streptococcal infections.

Read more.

Indigenous cultural awareness sessions

This one-day workshop introduces basic knowledge of world views, spiritual and cultural values of Indigenous peoples.

Seats are available for Feb. 26, March 12 and March 27 sessions. Register on LMS. Contact Lori Buors at 204-280-1279 or lbuors@ierha.ca if you need to cancel.

Welcome to the world!

A rare male pygmy hippopotamus named Mikolas was born Jan. 15 in a Czech zoo.

Pygmy hippos are native to swamps and rainforests in western Africa. It is estimated only about 2,500 of the endangered species still live in the wild.

Click here to read a news article.

And click here to watch a cute video.

We're looking for your story ideas!

Send your submission of 250 words or less to ierhawave@ierha.ca by Friday and we'll work to get your story into the next issue.

We're taking a break from publishing editions in weeks following statutory holidays.

There will be no issue of the Wednesday Wave published on Feb. 21.