This year, patients from HSN's Oncology & Medical Unit continued with the annual Horticulture Program. With assistance from Kendra Bourcier, Recreation Therapist, patients planted vegetables and flowers indoors from seeds in the Spring and later transplanted the seedlings into raised garden boxes, which are located on the outdoor patio. Gardening provides a healthy, stimulating physical activity to the patients. They enjoy benefits such as: increased mobility and flexibility, use of motor skills, reduced stress levels, relaxation, increased well-being and social interaction. The vegetable garden includes: tomatoes, carrots, beans, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce and onions, as well as a few culinary herbs: dill, rosemary and chive. A variety of flowers were also planted, including marigolds, daisies and petunias.

It's International Housekeeping Week! HSN's Housekeeping Team is comprised of over 140 valuable members. Each day, this team works hard to battle the unseen to keep our hospital clean! Together, they clean over 1 million square feet of space. Last year, the team disposed of over 860 metric tons of regular waste! Throughout the summer, the team raised funds to help celebrate Housekeeping Week. With a portion of the proceeds, they made a donation to the NEO Kids Foundation. Dancers from Project Dance paid a special visit to HSN to surprise the Housekeeping staff with a flash mob to celebrate the occasion. Thanks to HSN's Housekeeping Team for their ongoing hard work and dedication. Be sure to thank a Housekeeper this week!

Wishing everyone a great first week back to school. HSN is excited to welcome new learners and to work in partnership with academic institutions Laurentian University - Université Laurentienne, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Cambrian College, Collège Boréal. We look forward to being part of your learning journey. #HSNLearners HSN souhaite une bonne rentrée à l'école cette semaine. Nous souhaitons une chaleureuse bienvenue à tous nos apprenants. En partenariat avec les institutions académiques, HSN est fier de faire partie de leur expérience d'apprentissage. #ApprenantsHSN

"My main goal for choosing to be a nurse was to help people. It is very heartwarming when you can be there to assist and support people in their recovery from an illness or injury that they may have not anticipated. I specifically like trauma nursing because these patients are complex and it provides me with a rewarding education and challenges in the navigation of the multi-trauma patient during their transitions of care at HSN." Please join HSN in congratulating Theresa Murray, Registered Nurse and Trauma Case Manager with the Trauma Services Program, as she has recently achieved designation as a Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN) by the American Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing. This designation became available to Canadians in February 2016. To date, Theresa is one of only 3 Canadian Registered Nurses who has successfully achieved this designation! Theresa has been at HSN since 2005. She is an experienced RN who has provided patient care in several areas, including the Operating Room, Emergency Department and the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and has certifications from the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA-AIIC) in the specialties of Orthopedics and Neurosciences. Theresa shared that this designation will give her the confidence and expertise to not only assist HSN's healthcare teams, but to also better assist and anticipate the needs of trauma patients and their families, throughout their recovery.

​What are YOUR plans for the upcoming long weekend? As the summer comes to an end, HSN hopes you soak up the last bits of sunshine and nice weather. Whether you are spending time with loved ones, going camping, travelling or relaxing at home, please be safe and have fun! Here are just a few of the local, family-friendly activities taking place this weekend: Sudbury's Labour Day Festival at Bell Park: http://bit.ly/2esP9A9 The Big Nickel Show at Dynamic Earth - Home of the Big Nickel: http://bit.ly/2wMmvB8 Downtown Sudbury Ribfest: http://bit.ly/2grLC5G Story Time Trail at the Lake Laurentian Conservation Trail: http://bit.ly/2emcEXL Check out the "Evicted from the Anthill" exhibit at the Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario: http://bit.ly/2glZNW6 Be sure to share other activities/events in the comments below.

HSN's Volunteer Services is looking for volunteers. Volunteer for the health of it! Wear your Fitbit and you can accumulate 10,000 steps in one day! Other benefits of volunteering include staying physically and mentally active and enjoying a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Helping others can also release dopamine in your brain, which can have a positive effect on your happiness. For more information and to apply today, call: 705-523-7179 ext. 3 or email: volunteerservices@hsnsudbury.ca Le Service des bénévoles d'HSN cherche des bénévoles. C'est bon pour la santé! Il y a plein d'avantages. Restez physiquement et mentalement actif. Portez votre Fitbit et accumulez facilement 10 000 pas par jour ! Mettez à profit vos talents et cultivez un sentiment d'accomplissement. Lorsque vous aidez les autres, de la dopamine est libérée dans votre cerveau. Pour plus d'informations et pour postuler aujourd'hui : 705-523-7179 poste 3 ou volunteerservices@hsnsudbury.ca

Today marks an exciting milestone for HSN as a leading teaching hospital. We have received the green light from the Ontario Government to build a Learners’ Centre! The new 28,000 square foot facility will accommodate 2,000 learners each year, including medical students and other learners, such as nursing students. It will also allow existing staff and physicians to advance their skills. The focal point of the Learners’ Centre will be the Simulation Lab. The Sim Lab is designed to replicate medical settings such as an Emergency or Operating Room. It also provides training for procedures including intubation, suturing, and medical scoping. The Health Sciences North Foundation has been working to raise funds for the project and the community has shown their support through generous donations. The Learners’ Centre is central to the health care hub of excellence in our community. This investment will position Greater Sudbury into an even more vibrant go-to place for education and research in Canada. We look forward to further strengthening our educational partnerships with Laurentian University - Université Laurentienne, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Cambrian College, Collège Boréal, and to the benefit this will bring to learners, patients, families and the community as a whole. For the full story, please visit: http://bit.ly/2g85PNL ********************************************************************* Aujourd’hui constitue un jalon formidable pour HSN en tant qu’hôpital d’enseignement puisque nous avons reçu le feu vert du gouvernement de l’Ontario pour la construction du Centre d’apprentissage. La nouvelle installation de 28 000 pi2 qui sera construite au Centre de santé du lac Ramsey accueillera 2 000 apprenantes et apprenants annuellement. Elle sera utilisée par les étudiants en médecine et les autres apprenants, par exemple les étudiantes en soins infirmiers, tandis que le personnel actuel et les médecins y feront progresser leurs compétences. Le Laboratoire de simulation sera le point de mire du Centre d’apprentissage. Ce laboratoire se trouve actuellement et de façon temporaire au Centre de soins ambulatoires de Sudbury. On y recrée des milieux médicaux, par exemple une salle des urgences et une salle d’opération. Les gens s’y forment à diverses techniques, par exemple l’intubation, la suture d’une plaie et les endoscopies médicales. La Fondation Horizon Santé-Nord (FHSN) a recueilli des fonds pour le projet. La communauté a manifesté son appui par ses dons généreux. Le Centre d’apprentissage est au cœur de notre carrefour d’excellence postsecondaire et des soins de santé dans notre communauté. Cet investissement fait encore davantage du Grand Sudbury un endroit dynamique et incontournable en matière d’éducation et de recherche au Canada. Nous sommes impatients de raffermir nos partenariats éducatifs avec l’Université Laurentienne et l’École de médecine du Nord de l’Ontario ainsi qu’avec les collèges Cambrian et Boréal, au profit des apprenants, des patients, des familles et de la communauté dans son ensemble. http://bit.ly/2wJOcKp #HSNLearners #ApprenantsHSN

There are many proven and trusted benefits of volunteering. From helping to make your community a better place, getting active and meeting new people, to putting smiles on the faces of those who need it most. In this week's edition of #HumansofHSN, we are introducing Adam Haight. Adam shares how he became empowered to give back to the community and why he decided to volunteer with the Health Sciences North Volunteer Association. Read Adam's story at humansofhsn.tumblr.com Is there a special reason why you volunteer throughout the community? Share with us in the comments below! #HoHSN #Volunteering

August 18th is World Humanitarian Day. Meet one of HSN's Patient Advisors, Sandy MacDonald, who gives his time to helping people in other parts of the world. Read Sandy's story at humansofhsn.tumblr.com #HoHSN #WorldHumanitarianDay ************************************* Le 18 août est la Journée mondiale de l'aide humanitaire. Rencontrez un des conseillers pour les patients, Sandy MacDonald, qui donne de son temps pour aider des gens ailleurs dans le monde. Lisez son histoire à humansofhsn.tumblr.com