October 2025

Autumn Reflections

As autumn arrives, it brings with it cooler temperatures, brilliant foliage, and a natural pause—a moment to reflect on the good that surrounds us.

One beautiful reminder of this season’s spirit comes from The Secret of Saying Thanks, a transformative book by best-selling author Douglas Wood and illustrator Greg Shed. It explores the quiet power of gratitude, especially for the everyday moments we often overlook. Whether it’s at home, at work, in nature, or through life’s challenges, expressing thanks can shift our perspective and nurture our mental well-being.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Stop and smell the roses,” but how often do we truly live it? In a world filled with uncertainty and daily stressors, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet, when we intentionally focus on the good—by simply naming three things we’re grateful for each day—we begin to cultivate peace, resilience, and joy.

Gratitude may seem counterintuitive in today’s fast-paced world, but it’s a powerful antidote to negativity. When we appreciate what we have—a safe home, clean water, nourishing food, family, changing seasons, breathtaking sunsets, universal healthcare—we foster an attitude of gratitude that uplifts and sustains us.

Here at TransForm, we see inspiring examples of this every day. One such example comes from our IT Manager, Chris St. Pierre, who has introduced a meaningful practice within his team: during weekly touchpoints, team members recognize a colleague who was especially helpful or supportive. This simple act of appreciation builds a culture of gratitude and helps us celebrate the small, everyday kindnesses that make a big difference not only for the team but for the individual.

Whether someone listened with empathy, helped solve a problem, or simply held the door when your hands were full, expressing thanks can brighten someone’s day—and yours. Not knowing what each other may have going on in the background--that simple act of kindness can positively change the trajectory of someone's day.   

Many who prioritize mental wellness keep a gratitude journal—writing down three things they’re thankful for each day. It’s a simple yet powerful way to end the day on a positive note. Some days, finding those moments may be difficult—but the things to be grateful for do not have to be grand. 

As Thanksgiving approaches, I invite you to pause and reflect on what you’re grateful for this past year. From major milestones like births, marriages, and achievements to quiet moments like witnessing a stunning sunrise, sharing a hug, or enjoying the perfect cup of coffee/tea—each one matters.

From the TransForm family to all our hospital partners and stakeholders, we wish you a restful, joyful, and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving.

Lyn

In the News: TransForm is Recognized as a 2025 CIO Awards Canada Winner

We're proud to share that TransForm Shared Service Organization has been named a 2025 CIO Awards Canada winner by IDC and CIO. The award recognizes organizations that are driving digital transformation and delivering measurable business value through innovative technology. TransForm earned this recognition for its leadership in implementing the e-VOLVE Wave 4 project, which is helping improve patient safety, enhance clinical workflows and strengthen care coordination across facilities. 



Read the full press release to learn more about this exciting achievement:

TransForm's 2024 - 2025 Annual Report Now Available

TransForm’s 2024 - 2025 Annual Report highlights key milestones, challenges, and achievements that continue to shape digital health and IT innovation across our region. We invite you to explore the report to reflect on our progress, celebrate our people, and see what’s ahead for the coming year.

Meet: Hudson Oliveira

Project Assistant, Applications, Integrations and Development

It takes a team to get jobs done, and no project is complete without the support staff to keep tasks on track, and provide assistance as required. Hudson Oliveira, project assistant to the Applications, Integration and Development (AID) team is an asset with the degrees and experience to back it up. 

“I have a bachelor's degree in business administration and later completed an MBA in Marketing for Services in Brazil,” Hudson noted. “Before moving to Canada, I worked as a Project Manager in IT, leading digital platform development and cross-functional projects in different industries.” 

After coming to Canada, Hudson continued his education, earning a postgraduate diploma in Project Management & Strategic Leadership at Lambton College in Sarnia. It was during his last year there Bluewater Health went through the Code Grey incident. 

“That’s when I joined the TransForm team as a Project Assistant on the e-VOLVE project, supporting the implementation of Oracle Cerner. Since then, I’ve been able to grow my experience in healthcare IT and project delivery here at TransForm,” he added.

Working at TransForm has allowed Hudson to add to his skillset, a situation he doesn’t take for granted. In continuing to learn and grow into his career in digital healthcare, he said he enjoys many things about his chosen path. 

“I like being involved in different projects and having the chance to work with many diverse teams. Every project is a new opportunity to learn and to grow, and I enjoy collaborating with people who bring different experiences and perspectives,” Hudson said of his colleagues in AID. 

 Despite his youth, Hudson said he’s a little “old-school” in the habits he has developed to juggle his many tasks and responsibilities. 

“I still keep a to-do list in Word,” he noted. “For bigger or time-sensitive items, I put reminders in my calendar so I know when to start a task and when it’s due. Depending on the project, I also set up Kanban boards, usually in MS Teams. I just learned we can do the same in ServiceNow, and I’m planning to try that too. Breaking work into smaller pieces and keeping everything visible really helps me stay on top of things.” 

Explaining further, he said a Kanban board is a visual project management tool used to manage and track the flow of work by visualizing tasks as cards on a board divided into columns that represent stages of a workflow, such as "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done". He said they can be physical (like on a whiteboard) or digital as he uses in Teams.  



Coming to Canada from Brazil, he quickly overcame the language barrier, however, he does face some challenges with the biggest bane of many people’s existence – acronyms. 

“For me, acronyms are one of the biggest challenges. Sometimes it’s hard to know if an acronym refers to a person, a company, a tool, or something else entirely,” he mused. “At first, I thought it was just me because of the language barrier, but I quickly realized that everyone struggles with it! Usually, I just stop and ask what it means, or I try to figure it out from context. Either way, with time and experience you get used to it — and you get a few laughs along the way.” 

Despite the challenges moving to a new country and career meant for Hudson, he is enjoying the ability to experience new people and places. It helps him keep a balance between work and relaxation. 

“I love to travel. Whenever I can, I try to visit new places, try different foods, and experience new things. Travel gives me energy and keeps me inspired outside of work,” Hudson explained. 

For his fellow staff who have not yet had the opportunity to meet him, Hudson has some fun facts he wants to share that you may not know. 

“Even though I’m Brazilian, I’m terrible at soccer! Definitely not the stereotype,” he joked. “I think of myself as a friendly and easygoing person, so please feel free to reach out if you need anything. I really believe in open communication and teamwork, and I’m always happy to connect and help where I can,” he added. 

From his mega-watt smile to his friendly manner and professionalism, Hudson has been an asset to the AID team we wish all the best with his future at TransForm. 

Spotlight on Project: Regional Qualtrics Patient Survey

TransForm Shared Service Organization is supporting a new initiative aimed at improving patient experience across Ontario hospitals. The project stems from the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and is part of a broader Ontario Health and Canadian Institute for Hospital Information (OH/CIHI) effort to better engage with patients and understand their hospital experiences.

As required under Ontario's Excellence Care for All Act, 2010, hospitals must survey patients at least once each fiscal year. Patient experience is also a key focus area for Ontario Health Teams, hospital Quality Improvement Plans, and Accreditation Canada/Health Standards Organization requirements.

To meet these goals, participating hospitals are implementing Qualtrics, a survey platform designed to collect patient feedback and provide real-time insights into care quality. The data gathered helps hospitals recognize areas of excellence and identify opportunities for improvement. All five of TransForm's partner hospitals are taking part and are at various stages of implementation, from testing to go-live.

For patients, this means receiving targeted surveys after their hospital stay, offering them a voice in shaping care and reinforcing that hospitals are committed to listening and improving. For TransForm, the project highlights the capabilities of the Development team, who have enabled regionalized data transfer to the Cloud Qualtrics platform, allowing hospitals to send automated targeted surveys efficiently.

One of the biggest challenges faced during deployment was ensuring the correct data was captured within the Oracle Health Information System (HIS). Because the surveys rely on clinical data points to determine who should receive them, privacy and data accuracy were top priorities throughout the process.

Looking ahead, an ICU-specific survey is being developed with OHA survey partners. Once implemented, it will provide hospitals with deeper insight into patient experience within the ICU and support ongoing improvements in the quality of care.

TransForm looks forward to exploring future initiatives that leverage full digital potential of a unified HIS system, continuing to enhance healthcare experiences across the region.

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