North Bay Regional Health Centre

07/02/2025

Update: due to the incredible commitment of our local physicians, ED services will now be available on July 2 at WNGH.

*Important Notice for Our Community*

WNGH EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT CLOSURE COULD IMPACT WAIT TIMES AT NBRHC

West Nipissing General Hospital has announced a temporary closure of their Emergency Department on Wednesday July 2 between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

As a result, NBRHC is anticipating higher than normal patient volumes in our own ED.

Patients with urgent and life-threatening conditions will always be prioritized and seen first. However, those with non-urgent concerns may experience longer wait times.

Thank you for your patience and for helping us keep emergency care available for those who need it most.

06/22/2025

*UPDATE*: CODE ORANGE ALERT CLEARED

At 2:40 p.m. today the North Bay Regional Health Centre cleared the Code Orange alert. The hospital has returned to regular operations.
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Today at 10:05 a.m. the North Bay Regional Health Centre declared a Code Orange *alert* should there be a need to declare a full Code Orange (external disaster). This is to support the state of emergency declared in the Municipality of Calvin and Bonfield and significant damage at Champlain Park in Mattawa.

There is potential for a high volume of patients and there could be longer than normal wait times in our Emergency Department for non-emergency care.

The Incident Command Centre has been activated and staff will receive more information as available.

The OPP is looking for anyone who may have evacuated the park already on their own, to contact the North Bay OPP Detachment at 705-495-3878 to confirm your well-being.

Thank you to the first responders, NBRHC staff, and community partners who are working hard to help those impacted by the storm.

06/19/2025

We wanted to take this opportunity during Pride Month to highlight NBRHC’s Gender Diversity Clinic.

This clinic provides outpatient gender-affirming psychiatric and primary care supports to patients who are questioning or have come to understand that their gender identity differs from the one assigned to them at birth.

Our clinic sees patients of all ages from northeastern Ontario—our care team has expertise supporting children, youth and adults.

We provide assessments and tailored gender-affirming care recommendations related to gender identity, expression and transition goals for all ages. We can also provide gender-affirming hormone therapy to eligible patients without a primary care provider able to offer this care.

To become a patient at the clinic, patients can be referred by a health care provider (physician or nurse practitioner) with an OHIP billing number (the referral does not need to be from a patient’s family doctor).

For more information visit our website https://nbrhc.on.ca/programs-services/mental-health-programs-services/regional-specialized-mental-health-program/gender-diversity-clinic/

06/03/2025

As Pride Season begins, we are proud to raise the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag at our Health Centre. This symbolic gesture represents more than a tradition—it is an affirmation of our values, our commitment to inclusion, and our recognition of the 2SLGBTQI+ community within and beyond our workplace.

Raising the Pride Flag is a visible sign of our solidarity. It honors the history, struggles, and triumphs of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, while also recognizing the work that remains in building a truly inclusive society. We raise this flag for our employees, physicians, volunteers, patients and allies — to let them know they are seen, heard, and valued.

Pride Season is a time to celebrate, but also to reflect and take action. It reminds us that inclusion is not static. We must continue to listen, learn, and lead with empathy—ensuring that our workplace is safe, supportive, and empowering for everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

We encourage everyone at NBRHC to participate in Pride events, engage in learning opportunities, and continue fostering a culture of belonging. Together, we move forward—with pride.

Happy Pride!

05/05/2025

04/29/2025

We appreciate the opportunity to be part of a video that celebrates the value and impact of volunteerism. This video features voices and moments from organizations across our community, shining a spotlight on the people who give their time to help others. It reminds us how our collective effort and shared spirit of giving helps move our community forward and makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Happy !

04/28/2025

It’s time to celebrate our volunteers!

National Volunteer Week (April 27 - May 3, 2025) is annual celebration that recognizes the many volunteers who give their time and energy to support causes that strengthen our communities.

This year’s theme from Volunteer Canada – Volunteers Make Waves – highlights the power, impact, and importance of individual and collective volunteer efforts across the country. Like a wave, each volunteer contribution creates momentum and has the power to influence and inspire, joining a wave of positive change.

We are fortunate to have so many wonderful volunteers at our Health Centre. This week, we take time to celebrate their contributions and express our gratitude for their generosity and commitment throughout the years.

Please join us in thanking our NBRHC volunteers!

04/14/2025

Recognizing the Work of the First First-Responders during National Public Safety Communicators Week April 13-19, 2025

Ambulance Communications Officers in our region receive more than 36,000 medical and fire calls a year for assistance. On-duty 24/7, 365 days a year, this work is critical to the chain of survival—but the staff performing this vital function are rarely visible.

The North Bay Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC) is joining Emergency Communications Centres throughout the Canada in celebrating the second week of April (April 13-19, 2025) as National Public Safety Communicators Week. This week honours the thousands of men and women who answer emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment and render life-saving assistance to citizens.

Often referred to as the first, first responders, communicators have a challenging task. It is imperative that the call taker determine what happened and how to help before responders arrive.

Marc Picard, Manager, CACC says while most emergency calls take only a few minutes, in a crisis it can feel much longer and the call taker must remain calm when most callers are anxious, distraught or confused.

“Call takers are specially trained to gather the critical information needed to prioritize and dispatch calls,” Picard explains. “Not all calls come in from a residential or business address—people need assistance at their cottages, on a snowmobile trail or somewhere on the highway. Dispatchers have to be able to identify a variety of locations on a digital mapping system to be able to send assistance wherever they are.”

Also during this time the call taker has to get specific medical information to both provide pre-arrival instructions to the caller and if a Primary or Advanced Care Paramedic is needed to respond. “They also determine whether assistance is required from Ornge Air Ambulance, Medical First Response Teams, Fire Department or Police,” Picard says. “Moments later, the next 911 line rings and the process is repeated.”

North Bay CACC staff are fortunate to have an outstanding working relationship with the Ontario Provincial Police Provincial Communications Centre in North Bay, the North Bay Police 911 Communication Center, and Northern 911, whom they collaborate with daily.

04/10/2025

*Update* April 11

SYSTEM ISSUE RESOLVED

Our health information system issue has been resolved. All clinics, programs and services are now operational.

As the system is brought back online there could be short delays—please continue to be patient with our staff and physicians.

Thank you to our community for your patience and understanding.
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April 10, 4 p.m.

The Health Centre will continue to see patients attending a clinic or other outpatient service at the hospital that requires bloodwork.
If you are a patient requiring routine bloodwork, please visit another lab or wait until our health information system is up and running.
If you are unsure if your bloodwork is required, please speak to the clerk at the outpatient lab kiosk.

LifeLabs
1221 Algonquin Ave #403

Dynacare
111 Main St W #303
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April 10, 9 a.m.

Our Health Centre is currently experiencing downtime with our health information system. Surgeries and appointments are continuing as planned, however we do ask for patience with our teams as they temporarily use paper-based documentation.

Our team is actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

04/10/2025

NEWS RELEASE: Individuals who walked the common areas (hallways and lobby) of the east main entrance or visited the retail pharmacy at the North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) between 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1 to midnight on Thursday, April 3, 2025 may have been exposed to measles, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit) has confirmed. NBRHC is working closely with the Health Unit on contact tracing activities to identify and follow-up with known contacts of the visitor, however, they are not able to identify everyone who was exposed. Read more: https://bit.ly/3G1aQmZ

04/08/2025

Anyone who may have been exposed to measles and is not considered protected, contact the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit at 705-707-1455.

If you have symptoms that could be measles (fever, rash, cough, runny nose, red eyes) and are seeking emergency care, please follow these steps before entering the Health Centre:

• Stay in your vehicle when you arrive
• Call 705-474-8600 x 0 and let us know you suspect measles
• Follow staff instructions for safe entry

Thank you for your cooperation—you are helping prevent the spread of measles and protect everyone at NBRHC.

For more information about measles, including recent exposure locations and vaccination guidance, visit the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit’s website: myhealthunit.ca/measles

We're keeping our call centre open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you were at the Northgate Shopping Centre, the Ontario Northland Bus Terminal in North Bay (and the specified Northland bus routes) on Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 3:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. AND you or your child meet the following criteria, please call us at 705-707-1455.

- Infants under 12 months of age

- Immunocompromised individuals

- Individuals born after January 1, 1970, and who are not vaccinated with two doses of an MMR or MMRV vaccine, or haven’t had measles in the past

- A healthcare worker or military personnel born in any year who is not vaccinated with two doses of an MMR or MMRV vaccine

For more information, read our PSA from the weekend (https://bit.ly/43LbRK2) or visit myhealthunit.ca/measles.

04/03/2025

Join us at the Healthcare Job Fair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to explore career opportunities at North Bay Regional Health Centre

Register at healthcarejobfair.com