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Mary and Robert Maytwayashing recently led the land ceremony in Pine Falls.

Earlier this month, Anishinaabe traditional knowledge keepers Robert and Mary Maytwayashing from Lake Manitoba First Nation hosted a ceremony in Ashern on the land that will be site of a 12-bed in-patient unit expansion to the hospital. They were joined by staff, physicians, representatives from Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing and people from surrounding communities as well as contractors on the project.

“It is crucial that we give thanks and acknowledgment to the earth for all she provides so that we as humans can continue our walks of life in a respectful reciprocal way forward. The ceremony we shared invokes the spirit to help us accomplish this,” said Robert, who is also Interlake-Eastern RHA’s Indigenous human resources development officer.

Working with the architects for the project, facilities maintenance staff have created a patient room mock-up in the hospital’s garage. Staff and invited community members are experiencing the mocked-up room to familiarize themselves with layout and features. This is also an opportunity to identify any requested changes in the locations of elements in the room to ease access, use or patient care. 

Groundbreaking on the project is scheduled for November. 

It's National Infection Control Week! 

Don’t give germs a ticket to ride this respiratory season. Help stop germs in their tracks using these hygiene tips.

Julie Bergner, manager of Fieldstone Ventures Education and Training Centre Inc. in Ashern with IERHA CEO Marion Ellis.

Congratulations to Julie Bergner, winner of the CEO Award for Community Leadership. 

Julie is the manager of Fieldstone Ventures Education and Training Centre Inc., a non-profit and community-run organization in Ashern.

Since 2006, Fieldstone Ventures has been investing in developing health-care employees. It initially worked with Assiniboine Community College and community groups to host an LPN program in Ashern that generated 14 graduates. Red River College now also offers health-care aide programs at Fieldstone Ventures as well as a paramedic training.

Fieldstone Ventures connects students with funding. By easing financial burdens, students experience greater success with their learning and completion of courses.

Recently, training sites for Interlake residents have expanded with the establishment of two facilities in Arborg, thanks to a partnership with communities and guidance by Assiniboine Community College. 

Work is underway in to retrofit Ashern’s provincial building in order to offer local training on the west side of the Interlake. A certified health-care aide program delivered by Assiniboine Community College is being offered for January 2023. This will open up training to students from as far south as St. Laurent to St. Martin and cover all five First Nation Communities in the area. In total, 20 students are expected to be trained in this course.

Julie is a board member/treasurer of Living Independence for Elders in Ashern, the Lakeshore Hospital Guild and the Lakeshore Handivan Association Inc. In the past 20 plus years, she has worked closely with representatives of Interlake-Eastern RHA. Her community connections serve her well as she has excellent understanding of the needs of the community.  

Thank you, Julie, for all that you and the Fieldstone Ventures team have done to help people progress to meaningful careers through education.

Public health will be hosting over 70 public flu clinics in 42 different communities across the region this year. This year’s campaign will begin on Oct. 31. Public flu clinics will be available throughout the region with the last date scheduled for Dec. 3. 

Along with seasonal influenza, those that are eligible for their pneumococcal 23 vaccine can also schedule appointments through the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-844-626-8222. Bivalent COVID vaccine will be available at all seasonal influenza clinics as well. 

Public health offices will be hosting designated staff clinics throughout the region. Staff are encouraged to attend staff clinics or public clinics that are available in their communities.

Staff Flu Clinics and public flu clinic listing: Flu Shots (ierha.ca)

Please note: Vaccine Finder at protectmb.ca may be reflecting incorrect flu vaccine availability.

Vaccines are still very important to prevent infections that could make your child very sick.

Some diseases are now rarely seen in Canada because of long-term high rates of vaccination in the population, including:

• polio
• rubella
• diphtheria

However, these diseases still exist in some countries, so people who live in them or travel to them may become infected. They can introduce and spread these diseases when they return to Canada. High rates of vaccination against these diseases help to prevent further spread and outbreaks.

The best way to protect your children's health is to prevent these diseases in the first place by keeping their vaccinations up to date. Some examples include:

• Measles
• Whooping cough (pertussis)
• Tetanus

Learn more about vaccines for children.

Health Canada has approved COVID-19 vaccines for children and youth aged 6 months and older.

Learn more about:

• Vaccines for children: COVID-19
• What you should know about vaccines for COVID-19
• Get the facts: Vaccinating children against COVID-19 (printable poster)

Click here to read the Week 2 article for this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month campaign.

Accreditation Canada’s Workforce Survey on Well-being, Quality and Safety launched one month ago, and to date we have had great uptake regionally! Nearly 23% of staff have completed the survey across 58 regional sites and 21 different program areas.

Accreditation Canada requires us to achieve a 50% staff response rate to the workforce survey on well-being, quality and safety.

Did you know two other regional health authorities in Manitoba are also striving to reach the 50% target? How does our region measure up compared to our friendly neighbours to the north and south?

• Northern Health Region = 19%
• Interlake-Eastern Health Region = 23%
• Southern Health Sante-Sud = 27%

If you received a hard copy of the survey to complete, please hand it back as your manager directed. If you aren’t sure where to drop it off, please send your completed survey via inter-office courier to the Gimli Community Health Centre, attn: Accreditation Coordinator.

Have you completed the survey? 

The week of Oct. 17 to 21, 2022, was proclaimed by the Province of Manitoba as Spiritual Health Awareness Week. Spiritual Health Services are an integral part of holistic health care. Here is the proclamation in English and in French.

Ferdinand Funk is the new spiritual health services co-ordinator for the IERHA. He is a CASC/ACSS trained certified spiritual care practitioner with over 20 years' experience in congregational ministry, and 13 years experience as director of spiritual care and chaplain in long-term care. Ferd has served on the Provincial Spiritual Health Care Strategic Plan Implementation Team, and the WRHA Spiritual Health Care Advisory Committee, as well as chair of CASC/ACSS Manitoba.

"When a patient, client or resident enters the health-care environment, they can experience a crisis of meaning and purpose. In times like these, they may need additional support from a compassionate listener and guide to support and encourage them in their time of need,” Ferd notes.

The IERHA has a wealth of volunteer and community religious/spiritual resources that can be accessed through spiritual health services. In his role as spiritual health services co-ordinator, Ferd is looking forward to meeting with site leadership and staff to learn about needs and opportunities in the various communities in the region.

He also anticipates offering formal and informal training and support for volunteers and clergy to build capacity for culturally and spiritually safe care that honours the dignity and value of each person.

Ferd can be contacted at ffunk@ierha.ca or 204-461-3414.

Erin Gmiterek, support services manager, shared information with students at the Beausejour career fair. 

The recent Beausejour career exploration event was a great success with participation from more than 170 students in two hours.

Canadian Patient Safety Week, which runs from Oct. 24 to 28, is an opportunity to hear about patient safety improvements across Manitoba and Canada and share resources to improve patient safety and the quality of care provided in Manitoba.

Test your patient safety knowledge by taking this quiz. After you complete the quiz, you enter the draw for one of four $20 Tim Horton’s gift cards.

Click here to view the Shared Health Patient Safety webpage, which includes a list of upcoming events. 

The 2nd annual Vegetable Drive in support of local food banks for the RMs of Whitemouth and Reynolds on Sept. 10 proved to be a growing success. A whopping 928 pounds of food was received in Whitemouth and 280 pounds in Hadashville, of which 50% were root crops suitable for long-term storage. Non-perishables and cash donations were also received at both locations.

While the food drive is over for this year, there are still ways to contribute. Many food banks are able to receive cash, cheques or e-transfers by email, and for some food banks volunteers are badly needed. For a list of food banks in the Interlake-Eastern region, click here.

Read more.

Oct. 18 is Health-Care Aide Day!

Do you know someone interested in an exciting career in health care? Interlake-Eastern RHA is hiring health-care aides and uncertified health-care aides into the home care program.

To apply for positions, visit www.ierha.ca/careers and click “View/Apply for position.” On the job postings page, select “Community Care” under “Job Postings” to view home care positions.

For more information, contact Human Resources at hr@ierha.ca or Kerri Simcoe, human resources generalist, at ksimcoe@ierha.ca or 204-485-5436. More information is also available online at www.ierha.ca.

All went well at the recent home care job fair, which took place on Oct. 11 at Selkirk Community Health Office. A similar event will be planned soon for Gimli. 

Click here to visit QSS or call payroll at 1-855-866-4430 if you need assistance checking your schedule online. 

From Oct. 2 to 8, there were 341 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Manitoba, an increase from 305 in the previous week. 

The volume of lab tests increased to on average 284 people tested for COVID-19 per day compared to 303 in the previous week, and the positivity rate of lab tests was 24.1%, an increase from 23.4% in the previous week.

There were 73 hospital admissions associated with COVID-19 infection (including 14 ICU admissions), a decrease from 77 admissions (including 13 ICU admissions) in the previous week. There were 6 deaths associated with COVID-19 infection, an increase from 3 in the previous week. Read more. 

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

Second bivalent vaccine approved

On Oct. 7, Health Canada approved the use of a second bivalent vaccine, which can be used for people aged 12 and up. Manitoba Health is now expanding eligibility for the bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine to include anyone aged 12 or older.

Adults may receive either a Moderna or a Pfizer bivalent booster dose. Children aged 12 to 17 will receive the Pfizer bivalent vaccine because it is the only one approved for that age group.

Appointments for newly eligible people aged 12 to 17 can be booked using the online booking tool, by contacting the vaccine call centre at (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC) or by contacting medical clinics and pharmacies directly. When booking for this age group, make an appointment for the week of Oct. 24 to ensure the appropriate vaccine will be in stock.

Read more. 

Another COVID resource

Click here to view the Canadian COVID-19 Hazard Index on the COVID-19 Resources Canada website. 

Order cut-off this week on Nov. 18 for delivery to corporate office the week of Dec. 9.

Visit our online shop.

IERHA's affiliation with HUB International features various products and services at discounted or preferred rates, including for car rentals, hotels, vacation travel, home services, insurance and related services. 

Click here to learn more.

As a member of IERHA, you are eligible for exclusive savings on TELUS products and services.

Click here to see October savings, which include the all-pro Google Phone, a price drop on iPhone 13 128GB, and a chance to add up to 9 additional lines to your account starting at only $20 per month. 

The IERHA has partnered with Canada Life Centre Preferred Group Program. Click here to see more offers, with new ones added all the time.

As a preferred group partner, you have access to special pricing for all Manitoba Moose 2022-23 regular season games. You can purchase up to 8 tickets to any regular season game for only: 

• P1 $28.00 (regular $40)
• P2 $22.50 (regular $35)
• P3 $16.50 (regular $30)

If you are purchasing more than 8 tickets, please contact service@moosehockey.com for additional savings. You can also inquire about an all-inclusive group (20+) that would include tickets, gift for each group member, pre-game meal or discounted concession vouchers.

To access the tickets:

1. Click the following link: www.tnse.com/offers
2. Select the event you would like to attend, as well as the date and time.
3. Enter your unique password: INTERLAKE1
4. Click “Unlock” or “Apply”
5. The page will indicate you have unlocked the savings and you can select seats and proceed to check out.

Please Note: You must select the event you want to attend by using the link above – you cannot access the special discounts by clicking on the event page on ticketmaster.ca.

If you have any issues or questions, please message service@moosehockey.com

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 Nov. 16.