Hospital Insider: The Podcast

George Campbell was a not a physician — but he had the largest practice in town caring for everyone! His speciality was fundraising. George spearheaded campaigns that raised over $40 million to provide the best hospital facilities with state-of-the-art technology. Recently, George was admitted to the BGH where he was born — this time in one of the comfortable palliative care suites built with money he raised. On today’s podcast Crawford Reid — one of George’s ‘go-to people’ for fundraising for 60 years, Paul Moore — who enjoyed a personal and professional relationship with George and was young enough to be his son, and Kari Wilson the executive director of the Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation talk about George Campbell — the philanthropist whose fingerprints are everywhere on the face of healthcare in Brantford and Brant County.

Traditionally, the nursing profession has appealed to women. Of the 440,000 regulated nurses in Canada only 9% are males. However, since 2015 the number of men becoming nurses has grown 15%. Martin Ruaux studied architecture, before changing careers to become a nurse. Today, he is Vice President of Clinical Programs & Chief Nursing Officer at the Brant Community Healthcare System. Jake Oskam wanted to follow his grandfathers footsteps and be a military nurse — until the Canadian Armed Forces dashed his dream for the strangest reason! Today, Jake works in the medical cardiology unit at Brantford General. Jake and Martin discuss becoming nurses, the importance of continual education, and getting out of their comfort zone. And Jake reveals why he was not allowed to be a nurse in war zones!

Today, we take a behind the scenes look at the Brant Community Healthcare System preparations for Covid-19. Two physician leaders — on the front line of Covid-19 — talk candidly about the early planning stages, dealing with continually changing information, and their confidence in their ability to handle Covid-19. Working against the clock, multiple teams learned ‘on the fly’ because pandemic planning is not taught at medical school. For Dr. Laura Shoots, Emergency Physician, and Dr. Rudy Goel, Chief of Hospital-Based medicine no stone was left unturned.

Paul Emerson and Peter Quinlan come from different backgrounds. Paul was the Chief Administrative Officer at the Grand River Conservation Authority for many years, before leading the County of Brant as CAO. Peter was a secondary school teacher before he became a lawyer/Partner at Waterous Holden Amey Hitchon. Today, both gentlemen contribute their vast knowledge and extensive community volunteer experience to their passion: to help Brantford General and Willett Hospitals provide the best care for the citizens of Brantford and Brant County. Learn about governing the Brant Community Healthcare System from Paul Emerson, Chair, and Peter Quinlan, Vice Chair.

Liz McNamara is living her dream: she is a Registered Nurse working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Brantford General Hospital. Liz knows how ill Covid-19 patients can become, fast; and the stress working in the ICU can have on herself and her family. These days driving home from work the 31-year old mother of three young children finds herself thinking of her husband and family — a lot. Recently, Liz was swabbed for Covid-19 — thankfully, her result came back negative. Angela Cooper-Brathwaite is also a RN and is the President of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). Angela has worked during two pandemics: polio in Trinidad in 1972, and SARS in 2003 in southern Ontario. Hear the lived experience — the stress and emotions of frontline nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Working tirelessly — in only 4 weeks! — staff and physicians at the Brantford General Hospital pivoted the organization to respond to patients who present with COVID-19 and other emergencies. 14 negative pressure rooms, including an operating room, are ready. An off-site COVID-19 patient assessment centre is staffed 7-days a week. Separate hospital entrances will open. The laboratory is being specially Accredited to complete local COVID-19 testing — providing faster results. Safety measures for staff and physicians, and processes to manage limited medical supplies have been implemented. Learn from local experts: Dr. Andrea Unger (COVID-19 Physician Lead & Chief, Emergency Medicine), Dr. Rudy Goel (COVID-19 Medical Resources Lead & Chief Hospitalist), Dr. Tom Szakacs (Infectious Disease Specialist), and Dr. David McNeil (President & CEO, Brant Community Healthcare System). Please note, we all practiced physical distancing — and recorded this episode on the telephone!

If you have spent time convalescing in a hospital you know how boring it can be — and how much you look forward to visitors to help pass the time. But imagine if ‘Doug The Great’ appeared at your bedside pulling an endless stream of coloured silk from his hat! Or, ‘Parker’ a golden retriever knelt beside your bed and gently nuzzled your hand. Patient therapy provided by specially-trained pets and entertainers has been been provided for many years at the Brantford General and Willett Hospitals, and it is just what the doctor ordered. Doug Hunt, a Guinness World Record holder for stilt walking, and Bruce Wilson (Parker’s handler) — are in the studio.

Stats Canada reports the jobless rate among nurses is extremely low — 0.9% last year! With job opportunities so plentiful — 50% of all vacancies at the Brant Community Healthcare System are for Registered Nurses — it means nurses often have many jobs to select from. Learn about the strategies to ensure there are enough nurses to care for you when you come to the hospital. Lisa Keefe, Manager, Human Resources, and Melissa Casimirri, Senior Recruitment & Retention Specialist — are in the studio.

Nuclear medicine tests accurately diagnose a variety of ailments such as heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, various forms of cancers, and other abnormalities. Patients are injected a small dose of a slightly radioactive material, or sometimes given an egg salad sandwich sprinkled with radioisotopes. The Brant Community Healthcare System nuclear medicine department is state-of-the-art, and you won't need to leave town — even for sports injuries. Dr. Christopher O’Brien, Director of Nuclear Medicine — who is also an external reviewer for nuclear medicine departments in Ontario and British Columbia, and assists redeveloping nuclear medicine in Uganda, East Africa — is in the studio.

You are in a quandary: should you take your sick child to the emergency department? Or should you wait and make an appointment with a GP? If you are a parent — or even a concerned grandparent! — you should listen to this podcast. Seven highly-skilled paediatricians — each with their own sub-specialty — have been recruited from across Canada to Brantford. Their expertise, along with the nurses, new technology and a relationship with McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton means more children from Brantford and beyond are being treated at the BGH. Learn how Brantford’s ‘Group of Seven’ is caring for children in our area. Dr. Sarangan Uthayalingam, Chief of Paediatrics, Brant Community Healthcare System, and Dr. Madan Roy, Deputy Chief of Paediatrics, McMaster Children’s Hospital — are in the studio.

Throughout Ontario hospitals some patients are treated in corridors while waiting for a bed to become available. One reason for this predicament is because elsewhere in the hospital patients can’t leave until beds become available in long-term care facilities. If you, or a loved one, have been caught in this complicated quandary, listen to how the Brant Community Healthcare System ‘all hands on deck’ approach aims to get the right patient, in the right bed, at the right time. Learn what goes into getting you a hospital bed. Dr. Rudy Goel, Chief of Hospital-Based Medicine, and Shannon Knelsen, patient flow coordinator, are in the studio.

You have been coughing for days; now your ears ache. Or, perhaps you tumbled on the ice curling and your back is stiff. What is that rash on your child's stomach? The urgent care centre at the Willett Hospital, Paris -- described as 'the jewel in Ontario healthcare' -- may be just what the doctor ordered! Learn when you should go to the urgent care centre or the emergency department -- Dr. Mike Pysklwec, a Willett urgent care physician is in the studio.

Dr. Ross Pennie, an internationally recognized infectious disease specialist, arrived at the Brantford General Hospital in 2003 -- at the height of SARS. Quickly, he endeared himself to patients, colleagues, and the community. Medicine was Dr. Pennie's profession and passion. However, his interest in writing led to a retirement as a published author of medical mystery thrillers -- something he traces back to two cases of a deadly, frightful brain disease that "gripped me with terror." We discuss how one goes about living a meaningful retirement after enjoying a meaningful career -- Dr. Ross Pennie is in the studio.

Dr. David McNeil was hired one year ago as President & CEO of the Brant Community Healthcare System. What did he learn about the Brantford General and Willett Hospitals in 2019? Soon, a new strategic plan -- almost a year in the making -- will be launched, and the master plan that outlines the future for the Brant Community Healthcare System will be announced. Learn about the present and the future of local healthcare -- Dr. David McNeil is in the studio.

Maisie, a healthy baby girl was born in March at Brantford General Hospital — her parents Steve and Lily were thrilled! 11 days later, Steve drove Lily to the Emergency Department — where she collapsed and was lifeless. However, she was revived by the heroic efforts of BGH emergency staff. Lily, Steve, and baby Maisie are celebrating their 1st Christmas! It’s a Christmas Miracle and Dr. Shoots, the emergency physician who led the caregivers who saved Lily’s life, and Kari Wilson, executive director of the BCHS Foundation are in the studio.

Episode #2: WHY AM I WAITING IN THE ER? You’ve been awake all-night coughing, with aches. Is it the flu? Or worse, pneumonia? Finally, you listen to your spouse and go to the ER. Dr. Andrea Unger, Chief or Emergency Medicine at the Brantford General Hospital leads almost 50 specially trained Emergency Department physicians who care for 58,000 patients each year at the BGH ER. Learn how the Emergency Department works - Dr. Andrea Unger is in the studio.

Episode #1: All Things Flu with Dr. Tom Szakacs. Flu season is upon us. Should you get the flu shot this year, or not? How effective will the vaccine be this year? Dr. Tom Szakacs an infectious disease specialist at the Brant Community Healthcare System has the answers. If you are concerned about you or your family’s health this winter — Dr. Szakacs is in the studio.

Hospital Insider: The Podcast is a behind the scenes look and tells the stories of the physicians, nurses, patients, donors and volunteers who support and make up the Brant Community Healthcare System.