They Came North

These days we are not used to a president doing something for his people. Luckily, we are Canadians and members of the MDRAO. President Phelps called a Board meeting in Thunder Bay for February 21-23, 2020, of which 2/3’s of the board attended, producing quorum.

The meeting was the first of the President’s initiative to show members across the whole province they matter to the board. Each board meeting for the next two years and hopefully beyond, will be held in a different region, defined by Chapter, and will include a Meet & Greet with members. The Annual General Meeting will still be held in Toronto where the MDRAO’s managing company has an office. 

Three board members, Nathalie Legault, VP & Director of Education ,Tony Leite, Director of Chapter Development, and Candia Anderson, Director of Finance, were able arrive early enough in the day to meet the afternoon shift at TBRHSC’s MDRD (Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center’s Medical Device Reprocessing Department).

Candia Anderson was also there as Lambda President and Megan Bozec, Lambda Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer, joined them for a very interesting, productive meeting with the MDRTs and a tour of the department.

Unfortunately the Lambda Executive felt the cost of having their new Director of Education, Lorna Tamson from Sioux Lookout, attend was prohibitive. We just do not have the money to spend on face-to-face meetings in North Western Ontario. It is a hurtle we struggle with up here. Tony, who resides in Hamilton, is coming to understand this and is determined to find a solution to our problem.

 After two years of struggling to connect with our members and show them our belief in the current MDRAO Board is justified, Megan and I were grateful to be beside them when they showed their dedication. Megan said, “It was so great to see Jeffery, Natalie, and Tony come to Thunder Bay so they could meet with some of our LAMBDA members. 

I'm very glad that some of our members were able to come have lunch with us and have some of their questions answered!

Also thank you to Jodi Lewicki for having us all to the Thunder Bay Regional for a tour.

I'd like to send out a big Thank-You to Candia, Jeffery, Natalie, and Tony for taking time to come to visit!”

Jodi started her career as a MDRT and has been the MDRD Manager at the Regional for the last year and a half. Overseeing one of the most overworked MDRDs she has declined to join the Lambda executive but has been very supportive. Thus she too was glad the board came and had this to say: “It was nice that Northern Ontario was finally a stop for the MDRAO Executive. My staff really enjoyed the lunch they hosted and the conversation shared about sterile processing challenges we all face but are still fully invested and dedicated to our careers. They were excited to hear about the upcoming Education Day to be held in Thunder Bay this fall by the Lambda Chapter. Thank you for having a draw for a free membership and congratulations to Kelly Papineau for the win!”

Lunch was the biggest meeting of Lambda members since I took office. Nine! That may sound small to other chapters, but we meet through OTN during peak hours, and our departments are so understaffed we often can’t attend or get called away. Networking and the knowledge that comes with it is difficult up here. So for some of us to be able to sit down for a meal with the board, representing decades of MDR experience, is valuable. It is also in line with the MDRAO’s objectives to provide education that promotes quality patient care.

The Board supported Tony’s idea to have a draw for a free membership for one THRHSC MDRT. He wishes to do the same in other chapters during future visits. Tony drew the winner’s name. Although not present, Kelly Papineau has since happily accepted a 2020-2021 MDRAO membership. Congratulations!

The board conducted meetings that Friday night and all day Saturday. Much was accomplished. The board pushed through on Saturday because two board members had early flights Sunday. I was grateful I didn’t have to fly and had only the two and half hour drive home. President Phelps spent most of the day at the airport working on duties arising from the weekend’s meetings. (Nothing else to do at T. Bay airport!)

I’m biased, but I believe it was the best weekend of board meetings yet. Thank you to all who participated.

Candia Anderson
Lambda President and Chapter Representative
MDRAO Director of Finance