Working together to build a Healthy Community

Working together to build a Healthy Community
Message from
Tom McHugh,
President and CEO
Every acute care hospital is striving to
meet the expectations of its community
– patients want state of the art care,
close to home. Part of our success lies
in comparing ourselves to hospitals big
and small in the province and across the
county. In our last edition we focused on
our accreditation results. This time I’d
like to pass along our patient satisfaction
scores. Like all hospitals in Ontario, we
send out questionnaires to a random
sampling of our patients, asking them
to rate their experience. In recently
published scores our overall satisfaction
for emergency patients was 89.9 (Ontario
average 84.6) and for inpatients it was
96.2 (Ontario average 93.2 ).
In this issue we highlight voice
recognition. Every x-ray, ultrasound
and CT we take at TDMH is analysed
by a radiologist, a medical doctor
specializing in reading these images.
Just seven years ago we were storing
all of our images on film and waited for
a part-time radiologist to come to the
hospital to report on these images. Now
our images are captured in a computer
and immediately added to the worklist
of a radiologist, no matter where they
are in the region. When that radiologist
dictates his/her report, it will routinely go
straight into the electronic patient record,
ready to be used by your local hospital.
Of course radiologists like Dr. Romano
will still come to the hospital to work with
our team and do specialized procedures
for our patients. But in between visits our
images are being analysed more quickly
than we could ever imagine. The same
turnaround time, the same high-quality
care right here at home.
Finally, I want to thank the community,
on behalf of all of us here at the hospital,
for the generosity you showed in our first
“Angels of Giving” campaign. Through
your giving, we are able to keep our
hospital state of the art and exceed the
expectations of our community.
Tom McHugh
President and CEO
TDMH Board of Directors
Erwin Hawel, Board Chair
Duaine Nelson, 1st Vice Chair
Larry Phillips, 2nd Vice Chair
Richard Barth, Treasurer
Tom McHugh, Secretary
Brad Bennett, Past Chair
Peg Andrews
Elaine Balpataky
Scot Bolton
Reg Butcher
Josie Edwards
Paul Ens
Jane Esseltine
Mel Getty
Julie Gilvesy
Jean Girvin
Tom Graham
Dr. Howard Lamb
Daniel Rasokas
Chris Rosehart
Dr. Barry Roth
Dr. Gerry Rowland
Published
quarterly by the
Tillsonburg District Memorial
Hospital
and Tillsonburg
Hospital Foundation.
167 Rolph Street, Tillsonburg
Ontario N4G 3Y9
519-842-3611 ext. 303
TDMH Foundation:
519-842-3611, ext. 311
www.tillsonburghospital.on.ca
Visit our new website at www.tillsonburghospital.on.ca
and click on “Foundation.” Donating is now made
easy using our secure “on-line” process.
Pictured on our front cover: (left to right) Janis Barnard, Registered Nurse: Mark Holmes, Physiotherapist;
and Gerdien Goud, Registered Practical Nurse
Page 2 - TDMH

CT scanner provides better view
CT scanners are not a onesize-fits-all
panacea. But in
selected situations they provide
an invaluable three-D look
into virtually any anatomical
area of the human body. “It’s
a great tool,” said Dr. Walter
Romano. “Not for everything –
but certainly in selected cases
it is ‘the’ tool. “And now that
Tillsonburg has it, in those
cases, it’s a huge win for us to
assist in the diagnosis and then
course of treatment for our
patients here at TDMH.”
The analogy Romano likes
to use is that of a loaf of bread.
X-ray technology provides a
‘two-D’ look at the entire loaf. A
CT scanner on the other hand,
allows medical staff to extract
any one of multiple ‘slices’ and
view it in exquisite 3-D detail
from all 360 degrees.
In most cases, says Romano,
this capability provides
a quicker, more accurate
diagnosis and as a result, access to
directed and expedited treatment. “It’s
made care, particularly in our emergency
department, much more streamlined,”
said Romano.
Tillsonburg’s CT scanner did not come
with additional operational funding and
as a result, its usage is essentially for
urgent (for example, stroke confirmation
or surgical use) and emergent (accident
Tanya Byers, Medical Radiation Technologist
prepares patient for a CT scan.
trauma) applications. “It has changed
the way we deliver care in certain areas
of the hospital,” said Romano of what
he describes as ‘another important tool’
for surgeons, interns and emergency
doctors.
The CT scanner’s presence also
provides additional benefits. In the
first place, real-time connectivity exists
with all eleven medical facilities in the
Thames Valley region through
Picture Archiving Communication
technology. Basically speaking, all
data collected by one CT scanner
is available throughout the region
guided by confidential and privacy
regulations for fulltime reading
and interpretation. This feature
provides an opportunity for
instantaneous access to experts
in other hospitals for feedback,
direction or preparation in the
case of a patient transfer, once
again, upgrading the timeliness
and level of care. Secondly,
CT scanners have become a
standard of care, and the fact
Tillsonburg has one is viewed as
an asset for both staff recruitment
and retention.
“We are able to help the
patients that need urgent and
emergent care and we are
hopeful, if we can secure more
funding, we will be able to offer
routine CTs that are necessary for
all our patients to access close
to home, that currently do not meet the
criteria of urgent or emergent scans,”
explained Lorelei Thompson, Service
Coordinator, Diagnostic Imaging.
In the meantime this CT technology
helps us offer the required CT’s for the
patients most at need here at TDMH
in a timely manner, and the results
directly enhance the circle of care for
our patients.
Life can change in a moment
Tom Hanson’s life changed in one cataclysmic fraction of a
second. His recovery has been long and is ongoing. But the
CT scanner at TDMH provided a crucial first step.
“That’s exactly right,” said his wife Ann, noting that the CT
scan precisely identified critical trauma whose nature may
have resulted in delayed diagnosis. “And I may have died,”
said Tom.
Tom remembers little of being struck while standing on the
sidewalk in Otterville last May in a chain-reaction vehicular
collision. Banged, bruised and scraped but without broken
bones, Hanson was rushed to TDMH’s Emergency Department
where a timely CT scan revealed a bleed on the brain, by far
the most serious and pressing issue.
Dr. Howie Lamb informed Ann of the diagnosis and Tom’s
impending transfer to London’s trauma unit. “And the
ambulance was there immediately,” she recalled.
The Hansons’ experience illustrates a CT scanner’s ability to
provide Page 4 - TDMH a rapid three-D look into virtually any anatomical area
of the human body.
Ann and Tom Hanson are thankful to Dr. Lamb and
the nursing staff for the wonderful care.
And while Tom can’t say enough about the quality and level
of human care he has received throughout, the couple is also
aware of the role that the state-of-the-art CT Scanner played,
and what its lack might have meant. “It could have been
disastrous,” said Ann. “It really could have.”
TDMH ~ Page 3

Growth and
development
through continuing
education
Continuing education is an ongoing commitment to
both staff and students at Tillsonburg District Memorial
Hospital.
And while professional development is continually offered
to TDMH team members, they in turn act as teachers and
mentors to area nursing students.
“It’s important that they’re continually growing and
developing and passing that ethic, if you will, on to the next
generation about continuing education as well as nursing
skills,” said Clinical Educator Lori Smith.
TDMH provides regular ongoing education opportunities
through, for example, Lunch ‘N Learn sessions. Topics
for the lunch hour sessions include stroke education,
documentation, wound care and patient safety topics
including infection control.
Secondly, TDMH staff has access to the Western Ontario
Health Knowledge Network, an online resource providing
electronic journals, books, medication resources and up-todate
best practice information from Mosby’s Nursing Skills.
“They have a site they can go to for trusted and evidencedbased
information to support their practice,” said Smith.
And finally, while TDMH is not a teaching hospital by
the classic definition, it very much is through affiliations
with several post-secondary institutions. The highest
percentage of students come from Western and Fanshawe
said Smith, but Trent, Mohawk and Conestoga also source
the opportunity.
Registered Practical Nurse (RPN, a three-year program)
and Registered Nurse (BScN, a four-year program) students
benefit from clinical placements with a TDMH preceptor
(nurse) or learn in group settings with a clinical instructor
from their own institution.
Picture: RPNs Joanne Johnstone (on computer)
and Sheila Stanley (backrow) with a group of RPN
students from Fanshawe College.
For example, RN students are required to complete their
education with an integrated practicum (illustrating entry
to practice competency), roughly 430 hours with assigned
preceptors in clinical areas including Emergency, ICU,
Medical-Surgical Unit and Complex Continuing Care.
RPN students tend to come as a group with an instructor
for a 12-15-week session featuring a pair of six-hour shifts
per week ranging between Medical Surgical and Complex
Continuing Care.
TDMH staff has proven very receptive to the concept and
credits Smith, are more-than-willing to give back.
“We have a really well-seasoned and experienced nursing
team here. This gives them the opportunity to share their
expertise and passion for the profession.”
Overwhelmingly, the feedback Smith receives from
students praises how nice and friendly the entire TDMH
team is. And while the primary benefit may be to the
students, the experience has proven a two-way street in
terms of graduate recruitment and ultimately, retention.
The hospital has hired a number of its former students,
says Smith, who found their introduction to a community
hospital also a form of invitation.
“When they see we are a very high-functioning institution,
they see it is not only a great place to gain experience, but
a great place to work.”
“It’s really a win/win.”
Page Page 4 - TDMH 4 - TDMH

USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE SERVICE
The 2010 Tillsonburg Invitational
Golf Tournament was held last
September and raised over $34,000
towards the purchase of voice
recognition software for the Diagnostic
Imaging Department at Tillsonburg
District Memorial Hospital, which
will make turnaround time for results
quicker. Voice recognition hardware
and software is not new. But more
recent progress with regards to
recognition of medical terminology
has made it ‘smarter’ and opened it
up to new application.
Historically, diagnostic imaging
Radiologists would provide a verbal
interpretation of results. Verbal records
would then be physically transcribed in
another area of the hospital into a hard
copy which the diagnostic imaging
Radiologists would review prior to
the typed report becoming available
for the primary care physician. The
mandated standard under this system
from dictation to transcription was
24 hours. Historically, there were
provisions for enhanced, emergency
or ‘stat’ (ASAP) transcripts and in
any event, TDMH’s performance was
comfortably better than this mandated
measure indicator.
Voice recognition software
streamlines the process. The
diagnostic imaging Radiologist will
prepare a verbal report as per usual,
but through voice recognition software
and related hardware, the report will
be electronically transcribed as it is
being reported and then reviewed
almost immediately. The anticipated
timeframe for subsequent review,
signing off and inclusion in the IImember
Thames Valley Regional
Group (TVRG) Picture Archive and
Communications System (PACS) and
the patient electronic record is five
minutes. “Dictation to transcription
will be in a matter of minutes in most
cases,” said Dr. Walter Romano, Chief
Radiologist of Diagnostic Imaging at
Left to right: Angela Empey, Manager, Health Information and Privacy
Officer; Dr. Walt Romano, Chief Radiologist, Diagnostic Imaging; Lorelei
Thompson, Service Coordinator, Diagnostic Imaging.
TDMH. “There is no doubt reports will
be posted much sooner.”
Based on this development, the new
standard for transcript completion will
be routinely less than 24 hours from time
the imaging is reported, a maximum
measure indicator with room for
quicker turnaround. “We were in good
shape before and this technology will
only enhance the service we already
offer,” said Lorelei Thompson, Service
Coordinator, Diagnostic Imaging. The
ability for a Radiologist to read, review
and complete urgent exams without
transcription support outside of
daytime business hours will potentially
enhance turnaround speed for reports
at nights and on weekends.
“The use of voice recognition
software will provide a finalized report
to doctors faster,” says Dr. Romano,
“as well as allowing more efficient use
of resources.”
Voice recognition software is being
implemented throughout the TVRG
from November 2010 through May
2011, and at TDMH in March.
Angela Empey, Manager of Health
Information and Privacy views the
implementation of voice recognition
transcription as part of the progression
towards immediate and widely
available (within the parameters of
patient confidentiality) electronic
records, which in turn, enhances
patient care.
Mark your
calendar for the
19 th Annual Tillsonburg News
Invitational Golf Tournament
on Friday, September 9, 2011
TDMH ~ Page 5

Message from Neil Tull,
Foundation Board Chair
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the community for your
wonderful support of our first ever Angels of Giving campaign
this past Christmas. We raised over $152,000 for a new state-ofthe-art
Central Monitoring System for the Hospital‘s Intensive
Coronary Care Unit. The new system has been installed and
training for physicians and nurses is complete.
Donor-centred fundraising is important to the Foundation
Board and we have implemented a number of strategies
that focus on making our donor‘s experience a satisfying and
rewarding one.
The Donor Recognition Wall is just one of the ways that we
recognize and thank our donors. Plans are underway for the
annual update of our Donor Recognition Wall and a reception is
scheduled for Tuesday, June 28th at 6:30 pm in the main lobby
of the Hospital. We hope you can join us.
Neil Tull
Board Chair
TDMH Foundation
Board of Directors
Neil Tull, Chair
Devona Allin,
Vice Chair
David Corner,
Secretary
David Klosler,
Treasurer
Dave Abrams
Brad Bennett
Phil Harrison
Eugene Heath
Wayne Mawhiney
Tom McHugh
Dr Barry Roth
TILLSONBURG
DISTRICT
MEMORIAL
HOSPITAL
Who we are and
what we do
Physiotherapy
Porter
by Marg D’Hulster
association
Brittany
Taylor,
Volunteen
Jane Van Leeuwen, Porter
Page 6 - TDMH
These volunteers porter
in-patients between
their rooms and other
areas of the hospital, eg.
Physiotherapy, Laboratory,
X-ray, etc.
They not only have to
be trained in safe portering
techniques and hospital
isolation procedures but
they also have a chance
to visit with the patients
as they transport them
back and forth to their
therapy. Some porters also
transport files, x-rays and
other papers within various
areas of the hospital.
We currently have 23
volunteers in this area.
Patient Feeding
by Sharon Hagell, Convenor
Those volunteers who assist with tray delivery to
patient rooms and also assist with patient feeding are
known as “Feeders”.
This dedicated group of 14 volunteers help with
tray delivery to patient rooms, assist nurses in the
feeding of patients to which they have been assigned
and report patient concerns to nursing staff.
Patient Safety is a primary concern of these frontline
volunteers. Hand hygiene is a very important
preventative measure and the volunteers must sanitize
their own and the patients’ hands both before and
after meals.
These volunteers have a chance to brighten the
patients’ day by delivering a smile and kind word
along with the meal.

A PATIENT’S EXPERIENCE
While a blessing of kindness ripples outward,
it comes right back to the one who threw the pebble.
My first experience with the
Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital
was thirty-six years ago when I gave
birth to my daughter. I also have had
two successful surgeries there and my
late husband was well cared for during
his terminal illness. I feel that I can
responsibly add to this Newsletter. The
building has changed but the care and
professionalism has not. This hospital
services a large area with many unique
and challenging problems presented
on a daily basis. I, like so many others,
have learned to depend on the staff for
excellent care and accurate diagnosis.
If there is any doubt, the professionals
Linda Zilic
access other sources for confirmation.
Through community support, this
facility has been able to procure a CT
Scanner which has enabled an even
more accurate diagnosis. TDMH has
many programs which are tailored to
the specific needs of the patient. Many
surgeries are performed here along
with counselling, nutrition information,
physiotherapy and other essential
programs for the well-being of the local
population.
Because I believe in the need for a
hospital in a small community, I have
been a volunteer for many years. At
present, I am working in the Gift Shop
along with many others. It is a joy to
give back to such an essential service
in Tillsonburg.
On January 9, 2011, I was brought
to the Emergency Department by two
friends who were concerned about
me. I was admitted immediately and
after some initial tests was placed on
a bed in the Emergency area. Nurses
scrambled to make me comfortable
and kept checking on me and taking
my blood pressure and temperature.
I listened to the staff as they went
about their daily duties-going from one
patient to another. They were always
kind and positive even with the most
demanding people.
I had seen many nurses in my
volunteer role but had not seen the
dedication and energy needed to carry
on the daily duties. As I was being
placed in the tube of the scanner, my
doctor was there as well which made
me feel secure and hopeful. I spent a
day and a half in the emergency area
with constant attention and care.
I was allowed to go home with the
knowledge that my files would be
updated and would be a part of my
continued care. I was able to visit my
doctor who shared my treatment plan
with me. Once again my experience at
TDMH was a positive and uplifting one.
It gives me much confidence that we
have such competency and dedication
in a rural area.
Let me close with this thought written
by Kahlil Gibran many years ago and I
dedicate it to the tremendous doctors,
nurses and staff of TDMH.
Tenderness and
kindness are not signs
of weakness and despair
But manifestations of
strength and resolution.
Thank you for giving me this
opportunity to express my opinion.
Linda Zilic
TDMH ~ Page 7

Thank You... Thank You... Thank You... Thank You...
Local resident Carol Martis donned an “angel” costume as she made good on
her commitment to match dollar-for-dollar any donations raised over the $20,000
mark for the “Angels of Giving” Campaign. David Kloser, TDMH Foundation
Treasurer (left) is ready to gratefully accept the donation. Over $152,000 was
raised during this campaign and proceeds went towards the purchase of a new
central monitoring system for the hospital’s Intensive Coronary Care Unit.
The Tillsonburg Knights of Columbus donated $1,000 from their annual Cash-For-
Christmas Fundraiser to the TDMH Foundation’s ”Angels of Giving” campaign.
Pictured is Norbert Vanhooren, Grand Knight (left) and Brian Stephenson, Cochair,
We All Win Lottery Committee (right) presenting the cheque to David
Corner, Director of Development.
The Knights of Columbus of Sacred Heart Church, Langton recently donated
$1,000 to the Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital Foundation for Pain
Infusion Pumps. The funds were raised through their annual Cash-For-Christmas
Fundraiser. Walter VanLaeken, Cash-For-Christmas Co-Chair and John DeCloet,
Deputy Grand Knight present the cheque to Devona Allin, Vice Chair, TDMH
Foundation (left) and David Corner, Director of Development (right).
The Straffordville Lions Club presented a cheque for $2,000 to the TDMH
Foundation towards the purchase of Pain Infusion Pumps. Pictured left to
right: Ray Neville, President; Robert Foris, Treasurer; Ben Vandevyvere, Past
Zone Chairman; Kelly Verhoeve, Executive Leader Patient Services, TDMH;
Roy Stewart, Past President; and Roger DeClercq, Bingo Chairman.
Yes!
I want to help our hospital by making a donation
Name (please print): _______________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________ Phone: ____________________
City/Town: _____________________________________________ Postal Code: ______________________
Here is my donation of: $25 $50 $100 $ ________
Method of payment: cheque VISA MasterCard or donate on line at: www.tillsonburghospital.on.ca
Credit Card Number: __________________________Expiry Date: _________ Security Code (3 digits on back of card): ______
Please mail to: TDMH Foundation, 167 Rolph St., Tillsonburg ON N4G 3Y9
Thank you for supporting the Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital
A receipt will be issued for tax purposes. We do not rent, sell or trade our donor information.