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Interlake-Eastern RHA CEO Marion Ellis shares regional acknowledgment of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is on Friday, Sept. 30.

This includes an ask for all staff to identify how your team can contribute to the region’s commitment to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action as they relate to health. Click here to read the full memo. 

Sacred Knowledge:

From Conception to Birth

Join a virtual event today (Sept. 28) at noon with keynote speaker Elder Mae Louise Campbell.

Elder Mae Louise Campbell is a trailblazer in the field of healing Indigenous women and girls — and in helping organizations break down barriers and incorporate Indigenous ways of being, doing and knowing into their practices and policies. 

This event is limited to Manitoba health system staff only. Click here to learn more.

Lunch and Learn event

Join virtual Community Lunch and Learn events the first Wednesday of every month from 12:15 to 1 p.m.

The next Zoom session will take place on Oct. 5 led by Elder Mae Louise Campbell. Click here to see a poster. 

Register by emailing [email protected]

Sept. 30 has been designated the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday in recognition of the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools.

This is a day of reflection when we set aside time to remember and honour the Indigenous victims and survivors of the residential school legacy and, as a health system, to inform actions to create care environments that are safe, accessible and equitable for all Manitobans. We also wear orange to acknowledge this harmful legacy and show our commitment to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation. 

We each have a role to play in reconciliation. It is up to each of us to commit to listening, to unlearning harmful behaviours, misconceptions, and biases to incorporate values of respect, compassion and equity into our daily practices and work. This week, learn about the actions you can take today to support our shared commitment and honour the victims and survivors of the residential school system.

Shared Health has shared some resources to mark this moment.

• Share Five ways to Honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• Read about 10 actions you can take today in the spirit of reconciliation
• Learn the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
• Explore the Government of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples Educational content
• Events list

Click here for a list of additional Indigenous cultural awareness resources from the Centre for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships.

CBC reports that three partners — including Northern Regional Health Authority —have signed a declaration to eliminate Indigenous-specific racism. 

Here's an excerpt from the article: 

The head of northern Manitoba's health-care system is apologizing for historic and continuing racism against Indigenous people seeking medical care, and promising change.

"Let me begin by acknowledging that Indigenous-specific racism has existed and continues to be present within the Northern Health Region," Helga Bryant, CEO of the health authority, said at a news conference in Thompson.

"On behalf of our staff, I offer our humble, heartfelt apology. We're truly sorry for the harm this has caused. We collectively hope that healing can begin as we work in partnership to eliminate all forms of Indigenous-specific racism throughout the Northern Health Region."

Read the full article.

Construction is underway on a planned expansion of Selkirk Regional Health Centre that will significantly expand its acute care inpatient capacity and increase its role in Manitoba’s surgery program, Premier Heather Stefanson announced last week. 

Thirty acute care inpatient beds and three emergency department treatment spaces will be added as part of the project, enhancing the health centre’s ability to treat and monitor patients. The new beds will allow care to be delivered locally for an increased number of inpatients and a higher volume of surgical and endoscopy patients, the premier said. 

Read the full press release.

Thank you to Amanda Preachuk, infection prevention and control co-ordinator, for this submission. 

Hand hygiene auditing is an important part of patient safety because it helps health-care workers identify the right time to clean their hands. Performing hand hygiene reduces the spread of microorganisms (flora) that can make patients, residents and clients sick. 

What is a hand hygiene auditor? 

A hand hygiene auditor is a person that observes and records the actions of a health-care worker (HCW)/health-care professional (HCP) as they provide care. Afterwards, the auditor provides feedback to the HCW/HCP and or their team about hand hygiene compliance and opportunities for improvement. 

What is HandyAudit^©? 

HandyAudit^© is a web-based app that auditors use to record the hand hygiene actions on a mobile electronic device such as a tablet, iPad or laptop. As an HCW/HCP performs care, the auditor enters information about what they observe. At the end of an audit observation session, HandyAudit^© provides a hand hygiene compliance report that the auditor then uses to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.  

Roles and responsibilities of an auditor 

• Complete LMS Hand Hygiene training.
• Complete all training within one month or a time-frame defined by your SDO. 
• Confirm with your Local Audit Champion about how many audits and how often audits need to be completed in your area. 
• When possible, perform audits with variability — different days and times. 
• Be visible and respectful when auditing. Explain your reason for being there to the health-care worker and patient/resident/client. 
• When appropriate, provide feedback as soon as possible after an auditing observation session. 
• Share your general observations and suggestions for quality improvement with your team and leadership where the audit was performed. 
• Maintain the confidentiality and anonymity of those that are audited. 
• Participate in yearly assessments to ensure that you are auditing correctly. 
• Ask for help from your Local Audit Champion when you don’t understand or run into problems. 

Interested in becoming a hand hygiene auditor, contact Amanda Preachuk at [email protected] or your CTM.

Despite the prevalence of substance use in Canada, people who live with such experience often face stigma — a major barrier to accessing care, treatment, and recovery, particularly for those affected by the opioid crisis.

The video, shared by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, explores such stigma and highlights strategies that service providers can use to reduce it while improving the quality of care.

The video discussion guide includes learning objectives and outcomes, pre- and post-viewing concepts and discussion points, plus additional resources.

Watch the video and read the discussion guide.

True or False: Interlake-Eastern RHA staff have access to over-the-phone interpreter services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Occupational Safety and Health staffing update

Thank you to Samantha Roberts, lead for disability management, occupational safety & health and regional education, for this submission. 

Regional health and safety officer Don Currie left the IERHA to move onto a new opportunity and we are actively recruiting to fill the position. We would like to thank Don for all his hard work helping us update the safety program. 

For any workplace health and safety concerns in the interim at the sites/areas listed please contact your designated Safety Officer as below:

Alyssa Rowe: 204-904-8959, [email protected]

Safety area responsibility: Berens River, Beausejour, Gimli, Lac du Bonnet, Oakbank, Pinawa, Pine Falls, Riverton, Selkirk, Whitemouth, Winnipeg Beach.

Steffan Ojah: 204-406-8972, [email protected]

Safety area responsibility: Facilities Maintenance, Arborg, Fisher Branch, Hodgson, Stonewall, St. Laurent, Lundar, Teulon.

Samantha Roberts: 204 785 4773/204 485 5386, [email protected]

Lead, Disability Management, Occupational Safety & Health and Regional Education

Violence Prevention Program/POI, Respiratory Program

Safety Area Responsibility: Ashern & Eriksdale.

Click here to read the memo. 

From Sept. 11 to 17, there were 377 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Manitoba, an increase from 342 in the previous week.

The volume of lab tests decreased to on average 286 people tested for COVID-19 per day compared to 327 in the previous week, and the positivity rate of lab tests was 22.0%, an increase from 19.9% in the previous week.

There were 87 hospital admissions associated with COVID-19 infection (including 11 ICU admissions), an increase from 65 admissions (including 10 ICU admissions) in the previous week. There were 2 deaths associated with COVID-19 infection, a decrease from 7 in the previous week. Read more. 

And click here for info about outbreaks in the Interlake-Eastern region. 

Registration open for 26th Annual Bug Day

The 26th Annual Bug Day is Tuesday, Oct. 18. Register by Oct. 17.

🗸 FREE

🗸 ACCREDITED for primary care and specialist physicians, pharmacists, and can be used for professional development credits for laboratory technologists and nurses

🗸 VIRTUAL - available through YouTube

Join locally, nationally and internationally recognized experts for this popular day-long symposium. Presentations will address timely significant topics in infectious diseases and public health.

Bug Day is hosted by HSC Winnipeg in collaboration with the University of Manitoba’s Continuing Professional Development Medicine Program. This symposium is free, but you must register to attend.

Click here to find the schedule, abstracts and registration link.

IERHA nursing staff are invited to a session of of “Documentation: The Nurse, the Chart, and the Law” through the Canadian Nurse’s Protective Society."

The free Zoom session is on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. Click here to register.

And click here to see a poster.

The presenter is Priscilla Akyea, legal counsel at Canadian Nurses Protective Society.

First Aid and CPR

Sign up on LMS for a course in Gimli on Oct. 12 and 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (both days).

The Heart & Stroke Standard First Aid course is a comprehensive two-day program designed to teach you essential skills to effectively respond to medical emergencies in the workplace, home or other setting.

This course is designed to meet provincial workplace regulatory requirements* and covers cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including responding to breathing, airway and circulation emergencies, as well as control of bleeding, shock, stabilizing fractures and dislocations, head and spine injuries and more.

This Heart & Stroke course is ideal for designated first aiders, maintenance and reception staff.

Order cut-off Oct. 7 for delivery to corporate office the week of Oct. 28.

Visit our online shop.

We're looking for your story ideas!

Send your submission of 250 words or less to [email protected] 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 Oct. 12.