THUNDER BAY – Health – It started off just like any other weekend day in the summer for Peter Marchl.  After finishing lunch, he decided to spend some time outside, organizing his garage. While working away, moving some items in the rafters, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and knew immediately what had happened.

Health Care Making the best of a bad situation

“There was no doubt in my mind,” he said.  “I knew I had dislocated it.”

Two years previously, Marchl had been out sailing on Lake Superior when he dislocated his shoulder for the first time. 

“We were heading in to shore when it worked itself back in,” he said.  “And I didn’t think to do any follow-up care after that since it seemed fine.”

However this past August when it happened the second time, Marchl knew he needed to get to the Emergency Department at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre right away.

“I was in a lot of pain,” he said. “Thankfully my wife Ashleigh was able to accompany me.”

Upon arriving at the Emergency Department, Marchl was immediately cared for by a Registered Nurse who got him a wheelchair and put his arm in a sling.  “She took great care of me right from the beginning,” he said. 

Great health care – theme of the Health Sciences Centre

“Despite the fact that I was in a lot of pain, I was very appreciative of the way the staff and physicians treated me, but also in how they cared for my wife, who was a bit upset and anxious about my situation,” said Marchl.  “They made sure that she had somewhere to sit and were very helpful in answering all of our questions.”

[sws_blockquote align=”left” alignment=”alignleft” cite=”” quotestyles=”style01″] Our Emergency Department sees over 100,000 patients per year – in fact, it’s one of the busiest in Canada. Family CARE (Care Advancements Recommended by Employees) Grants from the Health Sciences Foundation and Volunteer Association recently provided funding for new overbed and stretcher tables, along with a toaster and microwave to help patients and families be more comfortable during the time spent in the Department.

Our MRI is the only one in Northwestern Ontario and performed 25,622 scans last year, operating for a minimum of 16 hours per day and often running 24 hours per day to meet our patients’ needs. MRI scanning is essential for the detection, diagnosis, staging and management of a wide variety of medical conditions, from cancer to heart disease to brain disorders to acute injuries. This technology is useful in the care of patients with acute as well as chronic conditions. A new MRI is needed to replace our current 14-year old equipment. [/sws_blockquote] Once assessed in the Emergency Department, Marchl was sent for an x-ray.  “I really liked how each person that was involved in my care along the way introduced themselves and told me what they were going to be doing,” he said.  “There was always lots of communication and it put me more at ease.”

Once Marchl was finished with his acute care that day, he returned to the Health Sciences Centre several times for follow-up care in the Fracture Clinic, and also for an MRI.  Once again, he was impressed with the information and care he was given.

“I’d never been for an MRI before.  The staff in Diagnostic Imaging explained how it would work and asked me if I had any concerns with claustrophobia.  I really believe that it was due to their professionalism and compassion that my MRI went so smoothly.”

Marchl has now been through physiotherapy for his shoulder and knows what he should and should not be doing.

“I’m really thankful to my entire healthcare team,” he said.  “I’d never been to the Health Sciences Centre as a patient before, and I can’t say enough good things about my first experience.”

Share your TBRHSC Health Care Experience

Have you had a great care experience at the Health Sciences Centre?  Why not recognize your care provider(s) through our Grateful Patient Program?  Our Program provides an opportunity for patients and families to say “thank you” in a meaningful and lasting way.  Your financial contribution to the Grateful Patient Program helps ensure that the very best health care is always available to you, your family and your friends. 

Call our office today at 345-4673 or visit our website at www.healthsciencesfoundation.ca to learn more.