Timmins, ON – The role of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) is expanding at Timmins and District Hospital (TADH) – helping to enhance the patient experience and meet the growing demands for complex patient care.   

“The innovative use of NPs in our hospital is a key role as part of our specialty care model. Over the past year, we’ve added new positions. NPs work closely with physician specialist teams, and as part of a health care team, they bring a holistic lens while playing a big role in providing hands-on quality care of patients,” said Joan Ludwig, VP of Clinical and Chief Nursing Executive at TADH. 

Many people associate NPs with primary care through Family Health Teams and    Community Health Centres, however they are increasingly bringing their expertise to hospital acute care settings. While the acute care NP is considered one of the newer roles, it was first introduced in Canada in the late 1980s in neonatology. Despite this early start, NPs in hospitals have recently been expanding.  

At TADH there are now five full-time NPs practicing both in outpatient and inpatient programs including in Surgical, Withdrawal Management, Diabetes Education and Eating Disorder programs and Pediatric Clinics.  Two new NPs joined the team last fall: Deanne Bacvar and Larah Williams.  Additionally, Lynn Smith is a part-time Nurse Practitioner specializing in maternity and pediatric care.

Bacvar is TADH’s first NP working on an inpatient unit in the Surgical Program where she works collaboratively with surgeons of multiple disciplines.  

“I help manage patient’s conditions such as diabetes and hypertension or acute care issues during admission. The surgeons I work with provide me with guidance and training with each patient we care for,” Bacvar said. “While the surgeons are trying to meet the growing demands for specialty services, I am present on the unit to provide direct ongoing care to our patients on the unit.”   

As a NP, Deanne brings a different lens to supporting surgical patients, working to improve their experience, outcomes, and transitions of care given that NPs are independent practitioners who can assess, diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests. They are also able to prescribe medications and refer patients to specialists and programs.   

TADH gave her the ability to fast track her studies through their “grow your own NP program.” As a result, she completed her Primary Care NP program in two years instead of three. TADH is again supporting Bacvar as she completes further certification.   

“TADH has always supported my desire to learn,” said Bacvar. “With the support of my family, colleagues, mentors, and hospital management, I have been able to reach my goal of being an NP and practicing close to home.”  

NP Larah Williams, another self-described “life-long learner,” is in an outpatient role as the newly appointed NP for both the Diabetes Education and Eating Disorder Programs. Williams assesses, diagnoses and provides medical management of eating disorder patients. In her role with the Diabetes program, she cares for the patients without a primary care provider – supporting their diabetes related health concerns.  

Spending time with patients at the end of their life prompted her to become an NP. She wanted to work “upstream” helping patients avoid some of the preventable outcomes of their chronic illnesses.  

“There is honour in walking alongside people at their toughest moments in the ICU,” she said. “I’ve seen what might have been prevented and I wanted to work to help make people healthier.”

The hospital continues to explore opportunities to expand NPs in more programs. 

 Our commitment: TADH operates within the traditional lands of the Mattagami First Nation, located in Treaty 9 territory. Our team is committed to building strong, lasting relationships with Indigenous communities as we acknowledge the diversity, history and heritage of Indigenous Peoples in the North. 

Photo Caption: Full-time Nurse Practitioners(NPs) working at the hospital (left to right) include Hilda Verbeek, Community Withdrawal, Jennifer Sharp, in Pediatrics,  Larah Williams, in the Diabetes Education and Eating Disorder Programs, Deanne Bacvar, in Surgical, and Chantal Dell’Erede, in Pediatrics.  

For more information contact TADH’s Communications Team: 705-267-2131 Ext. 2409 or communications@tadh.com