Wednesday Wave

News and updates for Interlake-Eastern Health staff

March 11, 2026

Medical student resident dinner

On Feb. 18, Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority hosted its annual medical student resident dinner at Shooters Family Golf Centre & Restaurant. In total, 18 medical students and residents attended the event, along with 12 local physicians.

Physician recruiter Sofia Lima said it was a great evening of mingling with discussions about working and living in the health region.

"This yearly event gives these future physicians an opportunity to speak with our local physicians and find out what rural practice is all about," she said.

"Some are already interested in specific communities and we try and ensure they have a chance to meet with a physician who currently works in the area. It is a great chance to discuss and to build relationships between the learners and the leaders."

All in all, it was a successful event! Click here to see more photos.

Guild provides warm welcome to internationally educated nurses in Eriksdale

Jen Heroux, Donna Pool, Nicole Jeffers, amd Cheryl Law

Carolyn Muenchow and Colleen Hogue

The EM Crowe Memorial Guild created a cozy environment.

During a Feb. 3 meeting with the EM Crowe Memorial Guild, Rebecca Desjarlais, manager of health services for Eriksdale Acute, requested some help with establishing three suites that had been secured that day for four new internationally educated nurses who would be starting on Feb. 9.

Not only did the members of the guild accept the challenge, but they knocked it out of the park.

“Immediately, they got to work requesting donations and securing items from beds to microwaves to cups and cutlery,” Rebecca said. “The volunteer group rolled up their sleeves further on Sunday Feb. 8 and put everything together.”

In addition to getting each suite ready, they also left a homemade meal in the fridge for the first night. Other added touches included plants, candies and chocolates, and guild members are currently making curtains for the suites.

“There are no words to summarize what the guild means to this community and this facility,” Rebecca said. “Thanks for helping us welcome Eriksdale Hospital’s newest employees with such enthusiasm.”

First patient day at Ashern's expanded and renovated ED

Left to right: Dawn manager; Aliyou, ER nurse; Nicholas, ER nurse; Cibil, program assistant; Emelyn, ER nurse; Joji ER CRN.

Emelyn, ER nurse; Amandeep, ER nurse; Dr. Egbagbe; Aliyou, nurse; Nicholas, nurse; Courtney, first ER patient; Clement, CA; Candace, program director; Dawn, manager; Joji, ER CRN

Following the expansion of the inpatient unit at Ashern’s Lakeshore General Hospital – which added 12 new inpatient beds to the hospital (bringing the total from 14 to 26) – Ashern’s new fully renovated and expanded emergency department is now open.

Ashern’s emergency department is now also significantly expanded, adding eight new treatment rooms to the five that already existed, bringing the total to 13. There's now a greater capacity, which allows for additional health-care staff onsite to treat patients closer to their home communities.

Click here to see more photos.

Interlake Eastern Health Foundation

Congratulations to our most recent pay day payout winners!

Reaghan H. took home $4,827.50 with Ticket Number D-3207 in our Feb. 12 draw!

We haven’t been able to connect with our Feb. 26 winner and want to get their $4,967.50 winnings to them. Eugene C., you have winning ticket number D-2231. Please contact us at iehf@ierha.ca or 204-485-5139 to make arrangements.

You can enroll in the raffle anytime. Visit http://www.iehf.ca/ierha-payday-payout-50-50-raffle/

Accreditation info

Click here to see a guide to ROPs.

Education opportunities

Privacy Bootcamp for Managers

This 30-minute online course provides health-care managers with an overview of their responsibilities under the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and related policies. Topics include common privacy scenarios that managers may encounter, such as:

Sharing of passwords and/or systems access
Law enforcement requests for interview and/or access to PHI
Unauthorized access to PHI (snooping)
Disclosure of PHI on social media

The intended audience is new managers across all health authorities in Manitoba.

March is Stop Child Sexual Exploitation Month

In acknowledgement of Stop Child Sexual Exploitation Month, Interlake Sexual Exploitation Educators (ISEE) is hosting free virtual presentations for parents and caregivers.

The two-hour presentation will explore ways that children and teens can be exploited in the online world. Parents learn the dangers of popular social media and how it puts kids at risk for sexual exploitation and affect their mental health.

The Zoom presentations take place on March 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. and March 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

To register, click here.

Drop-in Virtual Wellbeing Practice Sessions for Staff and Leaders

The Provincial Wellbeing Team is pleased to announce the next series of virtual drop-in well-being practice sessions for staff and leaders.

These short, informal, 15-minute drop-in sessions provide a supportive safe space to practice mindfulness techniques, stress management tools and self-care strategies in a peer-supported environment.

Whether you only have a few minutes or can stay for the full session, you’re welcome to come as you are and stay for as long as your schedule allows.

These sessions are offered virtually:

TODAY! March 11 at 10 a.m. – What is Wellness?
March 18 at 10 a.m. – Compassion Fatigue
March 25 at 10 a.m. – Moral Injury
April 1 at 10 a.m. – Humorous Coping & Resilience
April 8 at 10 a.m. – Mental Health Continuum
April 15 at 10 a.m. – Spring into Action
April 22 at 10 a.m. – Let’s Talk: Low Mood and Depression
April 29 at 10 a.m. – Stigma

Click here for more information on the sessions and details on how to attend.

Project ECHO (Extensions for Community Healthcare Outcomes): Positive Behaviour Support

Registration is now open for the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) program, in collaboration with the Behaviour Resource and Consultation Team (BRaCT), scheduled to begin on March 17.

Sessions will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom and are free to attend. This six-week interactive program is open to health-care workers who want to learn how PBS can help their clients.

Participants are encouraged to take the BRaCT LMS course “What You May Not Know About Behaviours of Concern” since it provides a foundational base of knowledge for this ECHO.

Registration closes March 10 at midnight. For more information, see the poster and course schedule.

Ostomy Education Opportunities for Healthcare 2026

The Manitoba Ostomy Program offers annual ostomy education sessions for all Manitoba health-care providers throughout the province via MS Teams or MBtelehealth. There are four virtual in-services for 2026:

March 12: Ostomy Basics
April 23: Ostomy Complications
Oct. 22: Ostomy Basics
Nov. 19: Ostomy Complications

Learn more.

Community-Led Alcohol Harm Reduction

The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute is hosting the webinar Community-Led Alcohol Harm Reduction: Evidence and Lessons from Rural and Remote Communities on Wednesday, March 18 from 10 to 11 a.m.

The event features Krista Kaminski, an independent public health consultant and founder of Health Research to Action, with over 15 years of experience in research, knowledge mobilization, and program evaluation. She supports health organizations and agencies across Canada to strengthen programs, measure impact and advance equitable health outcomes.

Join us to learn about evidence-informed lessons from rural and remote communities on what makes community-led alcohol harm reduction strategies effective. This webinar will explore practical principles such as cultural grounding, community ownership and reducing barriers to participation.

Click here for more info and to register.

Co-occurring Disorders Education Curriculum (CODEC) – NEW DATES

Upcoming Clinical Explorations trainings:

April 15 and 16

The Co-occurring Disorders Educational Curriculum (CODEC) was developed to support the delivery of services to individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders to meet a range of learning needs. The training is available to staff throughout the province and is delivered in two modules, Core Foundations and Clinical Explorations.

More information on the training and how to register can be found in this document.

From Insight to Impact: Advancing Nursing’s Future through Research

The University of Manitoba’s Helen Glass Research Symposium returns May 12 at Desautels Concert Hall.

Keynote speaker Dr. Greta Cummings (University of Alberta) headlines a day of oral, poster and workshop presentations.

Submit abstracts by March 13. Register by May 5. Learn more.

The Critical Eye – Decisions that Define Care

The 22nd Annual Critical Eye Conference, organized by the HSC Critical Care Education Committee, takes place on Wednesday, April 22 at the Canad Inns Destination Centre Club Regent Casino Hotel.

This in-person event is a great opportunity to enhance your knowledge and network with experts, colleagues and peers.

While the conference is focused towards critical care, all nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, physicians and allied health-care teams are welcome.

Find conference details and registration here.

Last day to register is April 13. Click here to see a poster.

Indigenous Cultural Awareness sessions

This one-day workshop introduces basic knowledge of world views, spiritual and cultural values of Indigenous peoples. Employees can park for free at the back of the old hospital and walk over.

Seats are available for the following sessions:

March 17, 2026 in Selkirk
March 25, 2026 in Selkirk
April 9, 2026 in Selkirk
April 23, 2026 in Selkirk
May 7, 2026 in Ashern
May 28, 2026 in Selkirk
June 9, 2026 in Selkirk
June 25, 2026 in Pine Falls

Please only register for one session. LMS will send a confirmation for the course date that you are regitered for. If you need to cancel, please ensure to do so at least two weeks prior to the date.

For more info, contact Lori at lbuors@ierha.ca. Please also contact Lori if you cancel your registration on LMS.

French Language Services

Spring 2026 registration is now open for the French language courses offered at Université de Saint-Boniface (USB).

The courses will begin on April 13 and the deadline to submit registration requests is March 25.

Visit StaffNet French Language Learning to register and much more!

Mois de la Francophonie: Cuisine & Culture

Ingredients for the charcuterie board.

The completed creation.

Susan Walker, ER registration clerk at Selkirk Regional Health Centre, enjoyed participating in Cuisine & Conversation, a free virtual cooking class offered during Mois de la Francophonie. The theme of the March 5 event was Wine, Cheese and Charcuterie Board.

“Although I had technical difficulties on my end, it was fun,” she said. “I look forward to the next online session to learn more when we make French onion soup.”

Learn more about Mois de la Francophonie events, which include: