Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Encyclopedia
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is an acute care facility serving Thunder Bay
and much of Northwestern Ontario
, Canada
. The hospital has 375 acute care
beds. All of its patient rooms are handicapped
accessible and the facility is air-conditioned
with "negative pressure
" rooms to accommodate those who may be suffering from communicable diseases
. The TBRHSC is a leader in providing cancer care
. The hospital is supported by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's emergency room
is one of the busiest in Canada, receiving approximately 95,000 annual visits.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre was created in 2004 as an amalgamation of the Port Arthur
and McKeller branches of the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital system. Patients from both hospitals were relocated on February 22 and 23, 2004, at which time the name was changed to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
, and offers training to new doctors on how to operate them. The centre's critical care unit
, operating rooms and emergency department trauma rooms
feature articulating arms, which allows physicians and caregivers to operate with greater ease. The centre has both hard-wired and wireless
technology, allowing its diagnostic imaging
to use a picture archival system to record images from magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), CT Scanners and other diagnostic imaging equipment which permits easier access to files among specialists so they may view and assess images as quickly as possible, and in any location necessary.
and one of the primary structural elements is wood, for which it won an award in 2004. When completed the building was over budget and several years late. Recent controversies have arisen due to crumbling stairs and flaws in the atrium structure, but those have since been repaired.
This Hospital is the only Hospital in Thunder Bay With an Emergency Department
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
and much of Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The hospital has 375 acute care
Acute care
Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery...
beds. All of its patient rooms are handicapped
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
accessible and the facility is air-conditioned
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
with "negative pressure
Negative pressure
Negative pressure may refer to:*negative pressure as opposed to positive pressure*stretched liquid*vacuum*negative gauge pressure, a way of expressing pressure measurements below atmospheric pressure*suction*transpirational pull...
" rooms to accommodate those who may be suffering from communicable diseases
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
. The TBRHSC is a leader in providing cancer care
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
. The hospital is supported by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation is a is a not-for-profit organization created to raise funds to support health care in Northwestern Ontario...
.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's emergency room
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
is one of the busiest in Canada, receiving approximately 95,000 annual visits.
History
Port Arthur, Ontario
Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Port Arthur was the district seat of Thunder Bay District.- History :...
and McKeller branches of the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital system. Patients from both hospitals were relocated on February 22 and 23, 2004, at which time the name was changed to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Technology
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre operates two Linear acceleratorsLinear particle accelerator
A linear particle accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that greatly increases the velocity of charged subatomic particles or ions by subjecting the charged particles to a series of oscillating electric potentials along a linear beamline; this method of particle acceleration was invented...
, and offers training to new doctors on how to operate them. The centre's critical care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
, operating rooms and emergency department trauma rooms
Trauma center
A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers grew into existence out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process unto itself requiring specialized and experienced...
feature articulating arms, which allows physicians and caregivers to operate with greater ease. The centre has both hard-wired and wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
technology, allowing its diagnostic imaging
Medical imaging
Medical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science...
to use a picture archival system to record images from magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
(MRI), CT Scanners and other diagnostic imaging equipment which permits easier access to files among specialists so they may view and assess images as quickly as possible, and in any location necessary.
The building
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is located at 980 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario. The building was constructed between 1998 and February 2004. Its construction features a three story atriumAtrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
and one of the primary structural elements is wood, for which it won an award in 2004. When completed the building was over budget and several years late. Recent controversies have arisen due to crumbling stairs and flaws in the atrium structure, but those have since been repaired.
This Hospital is the only Hospital in Thunder Bay With an Emergency Department