A welcome note from the editor
Dear Staff, Physicians and Volunteers, It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since COVID-19 became part of our daily lives — personally and professionally. It was on March 11, 2020 that the World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 pandemic, and it was on that same day Dr. Jennifer Russell, our Chief Medical Officer of Health, announced our first presumptive (and later, confirmed) case. From there, much of the world went into quarantine — while you all stepped up to the unknown challenges in front of you in an ever-changing health care world.
A shot of hope
Welcome to the 25th edition of the Horizon Star! The 25th — or silver — birthday or anniversary of anything is quite a milestone, and I cannot thank you all enough for the support and encouragement I’ve received in creating 25 issues of this publication over the past five years. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to its success – everyone who has submitted, written, edited, translated, designed and read stories, and especially those who’ve agreed to be photographed. Together, we’ve created 453 pages of stories (double that, when you consider the French version), and without all of you, the Horizon Star would simply not exist. It is truly a Horizon-wide publication. With competing COVID-19 priorities across the organization over the last year, it wasn’t easy getting here: we’ve adjusted publishing dates, scaled back on pages, and removed some of the more interactive features. But, it was definitely worth it! Both analytics and anecdotal feedback tell me more of you are reading more of the Star than ever before, so I am so happy we can continue to share your stories with your colleagues across the organization, no matter the format. As we continue to respond to COVID-19 throughout 2021, we’ll keep adjusting as necessary. I hope you’ll continue to reach me at HorizonStar@ HorizonNB.ca with new ideas. Happy reading,
at Horizon’s health care worker COVID-19 vaccination clinics The Government of New Brunswick (GNB) announced in December its New Brunswick Immunization Plan for COVID-19.
Hospital, Saint John Regional Hospital and The Moncton Hospital. As of March 23, 2021, over 8,000 Horizon staff and physicians have received their first dose of a COVID vaccine. Thank you to all Horizon teams who are working together to make all of our vaccination clinics a major success, as well as our partners at Vitalité Health Network, New Brunswick Public Health and many more!
And since then, we’ve all had a role to play in getting where we are today: vaccinating New Brunswickers, ourselves included. Our vaccination rollout has really ramped up over the past few weeks and we’ll see this continue in the months to come, as set out in the Government of New Brunswick’s updated vaccine rollout plan. As of mid-March, we’ve sent 14,000 prioritized
Since then, Horizon has been busy establishing COVID-19 vaccination clinics and vaccinating employees and physicians (health care workers), when eligible, who are actively working in our facilities. Clinics for health care workers have been set-up at Horizon’s Miramichi Regional Hospital, Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional
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Karen McGrath President and CEO vaccination appointment invitations to Horizon employees and physicians (health care workers) who are actively working in our facilities. Thousands have already received one or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and this number will continue to increase as many more clinics are planned. This is no small feat. We’ve also helped with clinics for staff and residents of long-term care and First Nations, first responders, allied health professionals and adults with complex medical conditions. While being vaccinated doesn’t change our Public Health and Infection Prevention and Control directives, I do hope it provides you a much-needed shot of hope. Despite this positive news, it’s normal to feel many different emotions – good and bad. In a video, the North American Center for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response explains how “trauma is stored in the body and that the body remembers anniversaries even if the conscious mind does not” and provides brain-based strategies for supporting your mental health and those around you. An interesting perspective, for sure. At next month’s Board meeting (April 15), Horizon will release its new strategic plan with three strategic priorities, each with several objectives. We will share more information with staff and physicians ahead of the Board meeting, as we recognize how important it is for staff and physicians at all levels of the organization to see where they fit within the plan. As such, you will hear much more about our strategic plan, priorities and objectives in the coming weeks and months. As you may have heard, I recently announced my plans to retire, which will be effective as of January 16, 2022. I announced my retirement intentions at this time to provide the necessary notice to government, so the recruitment process can begin. The goal is to have a new leader hired to provide a seamless transition for all of you and our patients and clients. I remain dedicated to you and Horizon and I still have many goals to achieve in the coming months before this transition occurs. Sincerely,
GETTING VACCINATED AT…
GinaBeth Roberts Editor, Horizon Star
Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital
Horizon’s Miramichi Regional Hospital
Karen McGrath President and CEO Horizon Health Network
Horizon’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital
Horizon’s The Moncton Hospital
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