Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is an acute care facility serving Thunder Bay and much of

Northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in 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 ...

, Canada. The hospital has 395 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 department An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...

is one of the busiest in Canada, receiving over 106,000 annual visits.

History

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre was created in 2004 as an amalgamation of the Port Arthur and McKellar 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 accelerators, and offers training to new doctors on how to operate them. The centre's

critical care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...

, 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 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...

(MRI),

CT scanners CT or ct may refer to: In arts and media * '' c't'' (''Computer Technik''), a German computer magazine * Freelancer Agent Connecticut (C.T.), a fictional character in the web series ''Red vs. Blue'' * Christianity Today, an American evangelical ...

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 atrium and one of the primary structural elements is wood, for which it won an award in 2004.Wood Council, Quick Facts, Sustainable Building Series, 7
Retrieved 15 April 2007 When completed the building was over budget and several years late. This hospital is the only one in Thunder Bay. The hospital is equipped with a ground level helipad located along Ron Saddington Way and short distance from the hospital building thus not requiring ambulance transfers.

References

External links

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 2004 Hospitals in Ontario Buildings and structures in Thunder Bay Hospitals established in 2004 Heliports in Ontario Certified airports in Ontario