July 10, 2024

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Capital project updates

Ashern's Lakeshore General Hospital Expansion

Achitectural rendering of Ashern’s Lakeshore General Hospital expansion.

Construction on Ashern’s Lakeshore General Hospital expansion started January 2023. Construction is 74% complete.

12 inpatient beds (for a total of 26)
8 new emergency department treatment spots
new rehabilitation, palliative care, spiritual care, family room, bariatric space
new automated medication distribution system

First patient day for inpatient unit: February 2025.

First patient day in new emergency department space: September 2025

Seeking submissions for mural wall in hospital

As part of this expansion project, a new room for patients and visitors to gather called “All Are Relations” is being added. This room has a wall for a mural that will provide a welcoming environment for patients and their families.

Interested Indigenous artists who would like to be considered to commission the mural can apply here . The application deadline is Aug. 30.

The artwork would need to be approximately 7’ high by 18’ wide and should reflect one or more of the following themes:

Health, Healing and Wellness
Nature
Indigenous culture/history
Local culture/history of surrounding communities
Truth and Reconciliation

Learn more.

Selkirk Regional Health Centre Expansion

Exterior of the new 30-bed inpatient addition at Selkirk Regional Health Centre.

Construction of the new inpatient unit and renovation of Selkirk Regional Health Centre’s emergency department started in Fall 2022. Construction is 96% complete.

3 new emergency department treatment spaces – COMPLETED March 2024
30 new inpatient beds

First patient day for inpatient unit Med 3 (18 beds): September 2024

First patient day for inpatient unit Med 4 (12 beds): November 2024

You’ve been heard! Parking expansion project underway

Staff response to a parking study helped pave the way for expansions of visitor and staff parking at the health centre. A total of 205 stalls will be constructed. This project is currently posted for tender with work expected to start in late summer.

Know of anyone who’d like to work at Selkirk Regional Health Centre?

Selkirk Regional Health Centre is hiring approximately 140 new full- and part-time positions with different requirements for education and training. New job postings are being added weekly.

Learn more about job opportunities.

We're live with RL! A note of gratitude!

Interlake-Eastern RHA’s quality and risk team extends its gratitude to everyone for their active participation the region’s recent adoption of RL for online occurrence reporting.

Our move away from paper-based reporting is providing the quality and risk team as well staff who managing occurrence reports with greater efficiency and better access to current data.

In the two-week period from June 10 to 24, 92 per cent of managers, directors and medical leads established accounts and completed RL training. We have 128 super users in this RHA and 84 per cent of them have completed training to serve as expert supports to their colleagues.

Thank you to all who prioritized training and for your contributions to our regionwide use of RL. We also thank the RL provincial implementation team for their support throughout our launch of this program.

If you’ve not yet secured RL training, there is still time. All staff who file reports will benefit from learning more about this new system. Learn more on StaffNet (you need to be on an IERHA network for this link to work). See the “Resources” section.

— from Katherine Podaima, regional lead quality, patient safety & accreditation

Living and working in IERHA — and loving it!

What activities do you enjoy in the region? Send us a photo and a few words about why you love where you live and work. Entries can be sent to ierhawave@ierha.ca.

We’ll share your stories in the Wave and, with your permission, on our social media feeds to help prospective job seekers appreciate all that our region has to offer. All entries will be entered in a draw for an item of your choice from IERHA’s online store.

April Obirek, who works as an infection control support associate at East Gate Lodge in Beausejour, shared a selection of lovely photos and the following comments:

I was born and raised in Lac du Bonnet and had every intention of returning home to somewhere in the general area once I was done post-secondary. I do enjoy living in small towns and rurally as there are so many things to do and the sense of community can’t be beat. Your "community" isn’t just where you live when you live rurally; you're also part of the broader community that encompasses the neighbouring communities.

You get first-hand opportunities to network and build relationships across the IERHA at your job/work setting, as well as in your personal life. There are so many things to do in our region across all seasons and often close to home.

Some things I enjoy doing are gardening, fishing and hunting; enjoying the many lakes and rivers our region has; taking my nieces, nephews and younger cousins skating and tobogganing in the winter; and partaking in the wide array of the festivals, markets and art/craft sales communities in our region hosts.

It’s always a bonus getting to see beautiful sunsets and regular encounters with wildlife you don’t always get to see in the city.

Thank you, April, for your submission!

Invitation to Sundance

Thank you to Robert Maytwayashing, regional Knowledge Keeper, for sharing this letter of invitation to the upcoming Sundance at Turtle Lodge in Sagkeeng First Nation.

This is a letter of invite those that want to witness and learn what the Sundance ceremony is about.

Our Sundance Lodge runs during the full-moon cycle of every July.

This is a dance where the participants that pledge to dance will go without food and water for four days and nights.

These individuals sacrifice themselves so that their prayers can be heard to help their families, friends, etc. They dance for all people of the world.

Our Nations are still dealing with a lot of unresolved trauma and this is one way in which we seek help from the Great Mystery/Creator.

People from all walks of life come to dance under the sacred tree of life, they seek to make a stronger connection to all our relations.

They give of themselves as they dance and pray or when they pierce after being tethered to the sacred tree of life or when they drag the buffalo skulls from their back piercings for their relatives to get healed.

It is a place of prayer, sacrifice and healing.

Read Robert's full letter of invitation.

Pinawa welcomes health-care workers from Philippines

Hanna Pascua (left) and Jennifer Lema recently joined the team in Pinawa.

The team at Pinawa Hospital offered a warm welcome to health-care workers who arrived from the Philippines along with their families.

Hanna Pascua came to Canada in February as a participant in the Philippines recruitment initiative, along with her husband Victor and their children Venice and Vaughn.

In the Philippines, Hanna worked as a registered ICU nurse. In that role, she enjoyed providing quality care to her patients and assisting them with their recovery.

Now that she’s here, she’s working as a health-care aide in Pinawa Hospital with Jennifer Lema.

Jennifer also arrived in Pinawa from the Philippines in February, along with her husband Mark and children Sophia and Marcus. In the Philippines, Jennifer worked in a tertiary hospital for seven years. She also worked as a community health nurse, as well as a nurse clinical instructor.

According to Janine Harcus, manager of health services for Pinawa Hospital, it has been wonderful having Hanna and Jennifer as part of the team.

“They are eager to learn, grow and participate,” Janine said. “Thank you to the community for their generosity in helping collect household items and winter clothing, as well as identifying housing for our two new recruits.”

The generosity is not lost in the new recruits who express their gratitude for the warm welcomes they have received.

Read the full story, including heartfelt comments from Hanna and Jennifer.

Staff appreciation barbecue in Beausejour

Staff Appreciation Day on June 24 at East Gate Lodge Personal Care Home was well received by everyone. Staff enjoyed a barbecue prepared by Erin Gmiterek, support service manager, and Cindee Bialek, manager health services. LPN Mary Sommerville and CRN Shaye Brown organized fun games.

Staff enjoyed participating in karaoke, a hula hoop contest, bean bag toss, ladder ball and a game of charades. The event ended with a very competitive water balloon fight! The day resulted in great team spirit and camaraderie.

Thank you to Cindee Bialek, manager health services, for sharing this fun in the summer sun!

Congrats to Spirit of Caring grads!

Pictured left to right: Dawn Tober of Moosehorn, Sandra Bowley of Stonewall, Ferdinand Funk (regional spiritual health services coordinator), Linda Bullen of East Selkirk and Kathleen Martinuk of East Selkirk.

June 20 was graduation day for four participants of the Spirit of Caring course that took place at Stonewall & District Health Centre. The nine-week course offered a unique learning opportunity that equips participants to listen and respond to the spiritual and religious needs of hospital patients and personal care home residents, as well as families and staff throughout the Interlake-Eastern region.

The four new graduates will join a workforce of 30 spiritual care volunteers who provide regular visits in the region’s health-care facilities. From January to May 2024, spiritual care volunteers have made 650 visits and have donated over 220 combined visitation hours.

Regional spiritual health services coordinator Ferdinand Funk is already planning a course for the fall on the Eastern side of the region. Please visit Volunteer Opportunities (ierha.ca) for more information about upcoming course offerings.

Thank you to Ferdinand Funk, regional spiritual care coordinator, for this submission.

Occupational Safety and Health:

Tips for safe movement to prevent injury

Thank you to Samantha Roberts, manager of occupational safety and health, for this submission.

Push/Pull

Work with the arms down
Set elbows in
Maintain a wide base of support with legs
Stagger step to protect lower back
Use momentum when exerting force rather than lifting slowly.

Lifting

Lift with a neutral spine
Maintain a wide base of support
Stagger to kneel
Push with legs to lift
Do not twist when transferring a load. Instead, take small steps, turn slowly and keep materials close to the body.
Contract abdominals to stabilize the spine even during light movement.

Gripping

Use whole hand to grip work tool
Keep wrist neutral
Keep elbow close to body, if possible
Face the object when gripping
Grip with all muscles, not just fingers

Working in the right zone eliminates injury

When possible:

Avoid working with arms extended
Keep elbow close to side
Use legs (not arms) for lifting, pushing and pulling

Zone 1 (Primary zone): Standing upright, and doing work with elbows bent and by sides such as bench work.

Zone 2 (Secondary zone): Standing and reaching away with the arms but the back remains straight and upright.

Zone 3 (Tertiary zone): Avoid when possible! Stand and reach while bending the back.

Public feedback on IERHA services and programs

The Quality, Risk, Patient Safety and Accreditation team collects and monitors public feedback on services and programs provided by the IERHA.

The patient relations and engagement coordinator connects with individuals who raise concerns about services they have received in our region. The information collected is used for quality improvement purposes.

In total, 423 concerns were reported between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

The Top 3 concern themes were:

Expectations of care or treatment not met
Interactions with staff
Communication

Learn more.

Thank you to Jennifer Dann, patient relations, for this submission.

Students raise funds for Alzheimer's Society

Julia Jordan, LPN and one of the region’s regional recreation coordinators for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, holding a sign showcasing the fundraising total of $1,141.

From left: Emma Dancyt, lead learner; Debra Bilawka, recreation coordinator; resident Vivian Bollenbach; Kris Klemchek, teacher in the back; Naiobi Monaster, lead learner; Nik Usackis, lead learner; Aubree Weiss, lead learner on the left kneeling; and Hunter Weise, lead learner, kneeling.

Each year from the month of May into June, Alzheimer Society of Manitoba hosts and assists others with walks to raise funds for Alzheimer’s disease. These walks take place throughout Manitoba. This year Debra, recreation coordinator for Lac du Bonnet Personal Care Home, contacted teacher Kris Klemchuk from Centennial Elementary School to let her know about these walks.

Debra was thrilled and overwhelmed with gratitude when Kris announced that students from the Lead Learners program, who take on extra responsibilities throughout the school year, decided to raise awareness for Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.

These students from the Lead Learners prepared and facilitated a schoolwide assembly that introduced their fundraising campaign, and they organized fundraising events throughout the month. The students then did a walk from their school to Lac du Bonnet Personal Care Home and fundraised a total of $1,141. Read more.

Thank you to Debra Bilawka, recreation coordinator at Lac du Bonnet Personal Care Home, for this submission.

MMF celebrates National Indigenous People's Day

Premier Wab Kinew spoke at the event. He's pictured here along with Jack Park,MMF's minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

Children enjoyed a play area and games.

On June 21, Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) hosted its largest celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day in Selkirk, a city that is home to many Red River Métis citizens. Premier Wab Kinew visited the event, among other dignitaries. Read more.

Thanks to Lori Buors, Indigenous human resources officer, for sharing these photos that she took at the event.

Happy Canada Day in Pine Falls

The team at Pine Falls Hospital celebrated Canada Day with smiles and festive colours.

Thank you to Adeline Reid-Kush, ward/stock clerk, for this fun submission.

Dan and Jordan pose with the Saebo System.

Jordan models one of the glove component of the system.

The power of community brings new rehab equipment to Beausejour

Staff at Beausejour Hospital are thrilled to have access to the gold standard in rehabilitation therapy for stroke patients with the recent addition of the Saebo Glove System. It’s a light and comfortable hand therapy tool that assists with hand opening and closing (grasping and releasing).This movement helps to retrain the brain and it strengthens the muscles needed to perform daily tasks.

"We are very excited to be able to provide optimal care to our inpatient rehab program patients in the community," says Bonnie Kibalski, manager of health services.

Jordan Beer, occupational therapist, and Dan Sokoloski, physiotherapist, are excited to start using the system and explain more about what it does and who will benefit: “All of our patients who suffer from CVA (cerebral vascular accident) [i.e. stroke] in acute and chronic phases with motor dysfunction will benefit from the treatments provided by this device. Emphasis for therapy is for fine and gross motor upper extremity deficits. In addition, it provides neuromuscular electrical stimulation proven to be effective for upper and lower extremities for persons suffering from neurological and/or orthopedic injuries. The Saebo kit fills a crucial gap in our region's ability to treat CVAs while offering the most current evidence-based level of therapy."

This purchase was made possible through the generous support of our community, including donations from an anonymous donor, the Brokenhead River Community Foundation and Interlake Eastern Health Foundation.

Thank you to foundation executive director Averill Stephenson for sharing this info.

IERHA in the news

IERHA hires 12 LPN nursing grads

IERHA paid tribute to 15 licensed practical nurses during a recent graduation ceremony in Gimli. The nurses completed a two-year LPN program that was co-ordinated by Fieldstone Ventures and offered by Assiniboine College in Arborg. IERHA hired 12 of the grads. Read more in the Express Weekly news.

Kinonjeoshtegon health fair

IERHA staff were on hand to provide information at the health fair that took place at Kinonjeoshtegon Health Center on June 3.

Thank you to Lori Buors, Indigenous human resources officer, for this submission.

Melissa Sutherland and Jaclyn Dudar provided information.

The health centre set up multiple booths.

Information was available about IERHA's withdrawal management program.

Virtual Staff Bulletin Board

Our virtual bulletin board in the Wednesday Wave aims to share interesting info among staff members.

Send submissions for possible publication in an upcoming edition of the Wednesday Wave to ierhawave@ierha.ca.

Bulletin board postings:

Food insecurity is a Canada-wide problem in every community. Food Security Now is a website that contains local data on poverty and food insecurity for every federal riding (in both English and French).

ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

Sept.12 and 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Selkirk Regional Health Centre.

Participants must attend the two full days to receive certificate of completion.

Learn more.

Manitoba Tobacco & Vape Learning Series

The new Manitoba Tobacco & Vape Learning Series is now available to all provincial health-care staff.

This learning series is intended for staff who may have tobacco intervention/counselling conversations with patients, clients or residents. The series features a variety of course options depending on individual needs and interests. Please see the MB Tobacco & Vape Learning Series Infographic for course options and choose which are right for you.

These courses are an excellent opportunity for staff with no pre-existing training on the topics or for those looking to update and refresh existing knowledge.

Brief Tobacco Intervention (BTI)

Ideal for all provincial health-care staff, this 30-minute course allows staff to learn or to update their skills relating to the brief intervention conversation, which can be held across a variety of practice settings. A Brief Tobacco Intervention poster has been created for staff. Please print and post as appropriate.

Intermediate Tobacco Educator & Certified Tobacco Educator (CTE)

This series of courses trains staff for longer counselling/intervention conversations, up to and including CTE certification, if desired. It is for staff whose roles may require more intensive tobacco conversations, or for those who are interested in expanding their skills.

Contact the Shared Health Service Desk (204-940-8500 or 1-866-999-9698) if you experience technical issues or require assistance with accessing the courses.

For inquiries about the Manitoba Tobacco & Vape Learning Series, please contact Cheryl Harder at charder@sharedhealthmb.ca.