Pictured is Chandel-Bailey Morrison as the two representatives awaited the start of the career showcase.
Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) continues active recruitment efforts by attending many events throughout the province. On May 8, PMH was on hand for the senior practicum showcase, sponsored by Red River College Polytech in Winnipeg. The event provided PMH with an opportunity to meet students from healthcare career programs which included nursing students, health care aides and health unit clerks and chat about potential employment opportunities within the region.
PMH was represented by Recruitment Coordinator Nicole Gulenchin and Dauphin Regional Health Centre Manager of Health Services Chandel-Bailey Morrison, who were happy to explain what the region has to offer and how they can make the easy transition into the healthcare workforce within the region.
Prairie Mountain Health Celebrates Physiotherapy Month
Prairie Mountain Health Celebrates Physiotherapy Month
May is Physiotherapy Month. Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has physiotherapists that work across many sites in acute care, long term care, community and in outpatient clinics. Physiotherapists play an important role in our health care system to help clients recover after injury or surgery and support clients to have a good quality of life.
Jill Twordik is a physiotherapist that works in the Brandon Regional Health Centre.
Jill Twordik is a physiotherapist that works in the Brandon Regional Health Centre. She began working as a physiotherapist in 2004 and joined the health region in 2008. In her time working in PMH, Jill has worked in outpatients, in the prehab teaching program and in inpatients. She currently has been working on the inpatient rehabilitation floor helping clients to regain physical skills to be discharged from hospital. Jill has worked hard to mentor new staff and create a positive work culture within her team.
Outside of Jill’s work in the hospital, she leads a physiotherapy team within Operation Walk Manitoba. This Winnipeg-based team launched in 2011 and completed its first mission to Managua, Nicaragua in 2012. The organization includes a volunteer team of surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists and healthcare professionals who provide free joint replacement surgeries in developing countries where access to orthopedic care is limited.
The organization works in close partnership with the Roberto Calderon Hospital in Managua, a public teaching hospital offering joint replacement surgeries to impoverished clients. The team works closely with local surgeons, nurses and students to build skills, enhance care and leave a lasting impact long after each mission ends.
Jill has gone four times on a mission to Nicaragua, with the last mission being in November 2025. She describes a team of over 60 people who attend where each team member plays an important role in making care run smoothly for clients. She said on her last trip 70 joint replacements were done over three days. She described working 12-14 hour days, going back to the hotel and then getting up early the next day to do it all over again.
“Being part of a team that can do surgeries like this gives people back their lives” says Jill. “It fills my cup for the year. I can’t even describe the experience of going to help people that are so grateful for something they otherwise would not receive”. She describes seeing young patients receive joint surgeries following motor bike accidents or seeing patients recover after living with severe osteoarthritis related to a life of performing heavy, physical work. She describes seeing a strong family support culture in Nicaragua. “Families are very involved in caregiving following surgery and assume care often the same day of the surgery from the team. Communities band together to support individuals during their recovery” says Jill.
Each Operation Walk mission brings walkers, crutches and braces to provide to patients who may have to wait for surgery. The organization is 100% volunteer driven with every dollar donated supporting the mission directly. More information can be found at operationwalkmb.ca.
Prairie Mountain Health recognizes the good work Jill is doing both in her paid and volunteer roles. She brings her knowledge and worldly experiences back to clients share cares for in the region every day.
Each physiotherapist in PMH is a valued team member and each have stories to share about how they make a difference in lives of Manitobans every day.
Wes Anderson, and Brent Havelange, far right, joined Dr. Porimol Debnath and Tamara Kemp-Boulet, PMH Recruitment and Retention Coordinator to see the sights.
One of the cornerstones of Prairie Mountain Health’s rural physician recruitment program includes sponsorship of physicians through two innovative provincial programs offered through University of Manitoba’s Max Rady School of Medicine. Prairie Mountain Health (PMH), along with community partners, welcomes physicians who have successfully completed the Manitoba Licensure Program for International Medical Graduates (MLPIMG) to the region.
On March 28, Dr. Porimol Debnath, who is originally from Bangladesh, toured Russell and the surrounding area. He said the experience left a strong impression.
“I really enjoyed my tour of the area,” said Dr. Debnath. “People were very warm and welcoming, and I really liked the hospital and clinic. I’m looking forward to starting work in Russell and building connections in the community.”
Upon successfully completion of the one-year training program, Dr. Debnath is anticipated to begin practicing in Russell later this fall.
Dr. James Honiball meets Dr. Debnath at the Russell Health Centre.
Practice‑Ready Program update
PMH has also welcomed two physicians through the Practice Ready Assessment’ program, which offers an accelerated pathway to licensure to qualified candidates following a three‑month practice evaluation process.
Dr. Tolulope Oni and Dr. Marvis Ofurum completed the program in February and are now practicing in Russell and Brandon, respectively.
Four additional physicians are currently completing this assessment process and are expected to start in Fall 2026, with planned placements in Russell, Swan River and Carberry.
Representatives of the Municipality of Russell-Binscarth were on hand to tour a new physician around the area, including a visit to the Asessippi Ski Resort near Russell.
Dr. Debnath chats with Russell physician Dr. Wickus Pieterse.
SPARK: Supporting Mental Wellness in Our Communities
SPARK: Supporting Mental Wellness in Our Communities
During Mental Health Awareness Week, May 4-10, 2026 the Canadian Mental Health Association encourages everyone to connect—with our communities and with ourselves. What better time than now to introduce a long-standing committee within Prairie Mountain Health: SPARK.
Formerly known as the Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention Committee, the group has rebranded as SPARK — Suicide Prevention, Awareness, Resilience, and Knowledge, complete with a refreshed look and logo that reflects its ongoing commitment to community well-being.
The SPARK committee is made up of community members from Swan River, Roblin, Dauphin, and Ste. Rose. Members meet bi-monthly, working toward a shared vision of improving mental wellness and reducing suicide risk for individuals across the Parkland region.
Throughout the year, SPARK leads and supports a variety of initiatives that bring people together and promote mental health awareness. These include Blue Monday activities, Mental Health Awareness Week walks, virtual events for World Maternal Mental Health Day, as well as World Suicide Prevention Day activities such as Chalk the Walk and candlelight vigils.
Throughout Mental Health Awareness Week, SPARK members will be hosting events across the Parkland region, including:
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Roblin HERO Club – A community walk with refreshments and a discussion to follow, along with outreach activities throughout the week and a window display featuring resources from the Canadian Mental Health Association.
World Maternal Mental Health Day
The mission of SPARK is to support and encourage individuals, families, communities, and professionals to achieve the best possible health and wellness. Through education and public awareness, the committee works to strengthen mental health promotion efforts and enhance suicide prevention across the region.
We all have mental health, just like we all have physical health, and our experiences shape how we understand and support one another. By sharing, listening, and strengthening connections, we build healthier communities where people feel supported, valued, and not alone.
For more information or to connect with a SPARK committee member, please contact Ashley Vandepoele at [email protected] or Olivia Acorn at [email protected]. SPARK is always looking to grow, and new members are welcome.
If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. You can call or text 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline by dialing 9-8-8, anytime, day or night.
Submitted by Kelly Lewis SPARK Member HOPE Community Coordinator
International Harm Reduction Day, May 7, 2026, is an opportunity to recognize not only the many health care workers who center their practice around a harm reduction approach, but also the peers and individuals with lived and living experience of substance use. Their voices and contributions are integral to advancing this work and supporting their communities.
Although harm reduction has been officially recognized since the 1980s and practiced informally for much longer, significant work remains across many sectors to expand its reach. Despite strong evidence demonstrating that harm reduction saves lives, many communities still lack access to essential services such as drug checking, safer consumption sites, and other life-saving supports. Stigma remains pervasive, often acting as a barrier to care and limiting access to health and social services for those who need them most.
At PMH, we acknowledge the importance of peer voices and the individuals who continue to show up for their communities despite ongoing challenges and barriers. In particular, we would like to recognize PMH’s two official Peer Volunteers, who have generously contributed their time, experience, and expertise to our organization. They have spent countless hours developing and maintaining the harm reduction locker outside the 7th Street Health Access Centre in Brandon, co-facilitating coffee programs, supporting the Healthy Sexuality and Harm Reduction team with outreach events, reviewing PMH policies, participating in health event booths, and co-facilitating Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care sessions alongside the Regional Harm Reduction Coordinator & Health Educator from Nine Circles Community Health Centre as well as supporting the development of the Sexual Wellness Health Lodge.
In addition to the Brandon peers, there are many more peers in Swan River, Dauphin, and across the PMH region who contribute in similar ways through the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network and within their own communities. We see peers showing up to respond to toxic drug supply poisonings and overdoses, providing harm reduction supplies at all hours of the day and night, and walking alongside community members to help ensure they have what they need to stay safe, including a place to sleep or a support person at an appointment. Most importantly, they offer compassion, care, and connection to people who use drugs — a group that is often stigmatized and marginalized by the systems around them.
PMH would like to honour peers not only today but throughout the year by acknowledging their efforts and extending a very warm, heartfelt thank-you. We truly could not do this work without the integral voices, leadership, and support of peers.
Throughout the PMH region, May 7 will be recognized with the following events:
Brandon – May 7, 1:00–3:00 PM, Princess Park
Swan River – May 6, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM, Elbert Chartrand Friendship Centre
Electronic blood pressure machines and stands for Rossburn and Melita
The Primary Health Care program would like to thank the Rossburn Health Auxiliary and Melita Ladies Auxiliary for their generous donation of electronic blood pressure machines and stands. The recent addition of new health care providers to these clinics has increased the demand for reliable clinical tools, making this donation especially timely.
These contributions will directly enhance patient care by ensuring accurate and efficient blood pressure monitoring. The Nurse Practitioners and Clinic Nurses will be using this equipment daily to support timely assessments and informed clinical decisions. We greatly appreciate your continued commitment to improving health services in our community.
Spring is the perfect time to get outside, get active, and explore your community in new ways!
Prairie Mountain Health offers a variety of free activity kits that make it easy to plan fun, active experiences for families, classrooms, and community groups. Choose from physical literacy kits to build movement skills through play, geocaching kits for real-life treasure hunts, or nature discovery backpacks for hands-on outdoor learning.
Whether you’re planning a family outing, a school activity, or a community event, these kits are a simple way to support active living and outdoor exploration—at no cost.
Visit our website or check out our poster to learn more and book a kit.
Welcome to PMH Moves – a year-long Health Promotion series shared through PMH Communications. Each month, we’ll highlight a different way movement supports health across the lifespan — from boosting mood and focus to strength, walking, healthy aging, and staying active through the seasons.
While the topics will change, the message stays the same: every bit of movement counts — and it all adds up. Take what works for you and leave the rest.
This month’s article highlights how movement can support mental health by boosting mood, reducing stress, and improving overall well-being.
Movement is one of the simplest ways to support your mental health. It can boost mood, reduce stress, and help you feel more energized—no matter how you choose to move. This month, we’re exploring easy, enjoyable ways to get started.
As the seasons change, spring offers a natural opportunity to refresh routines and spend more time moving outdoors. The sun is shining, days are stretching out, the earth is waking up. Spring is a time of fresh beginnings for nature as trees and flowers sprout new leaves and animals come out from a winter of hibernation. Use nature as your cue to start moving for your physical and mental health.
Being physically active looks different to everyone but can be as individual as each person. If you have not been active recently, start small. Choose simple exercises, 10-minute periods of time and a place where you are comfortable. Choosing activities you enjoy will increase motivation to exercise.
Yoga movements are low impact with a focus on mindfulness and breathing. Benefits of yoga include reducing stress, increasing oxygen flow to the brain and improving flexibility. Videos are available for at-home practice as well as in-person sessions in many communities with classes in chair yoga, and for beginner to advanced skill levels. Tai chi and Pilates are other forms of mind and body exercise worth trying.
Walking is simple, can be purposeful and accomplished virtually anywhere. Sleep improves with walking, especially outdoors in fresh air. Other aerobic activities such as swimming (including aquasize exercise classes) provide low-impact movement for the body.
Dancing in the comfort of your home or with a group is sure to put a smile on your face. Allow your body to move to music without rules.
Gardening counts as exercise. Muscles are engaged as holes are dug, weeds are pulled and the harvest is carried away. This activity has bonus benefits of time outdoors, connecting with the earth, seeing and smelling flowers, and the feeling of accomplishment in harvesting vegetables.
With May fast approaching, PMH is once again preparing for its yearly Regional Accreditation Survey. Accreditation is a voluntary, comprehensive review process conducted by Accreditation Canada that evaluates the health region’s services against national quality and safety standards and required organizational practices. This process helps identify areas for improvement and ensures a commitment to safe, high-quality patient care. Accreditation Canada not only works with health care providers, it includes stakeholders, patients and their families. PMH will be hosting an Accreditation Canada on-site survey, May 24-29, 2026.
This year the standards and practices being surveyed are acute care focused – Critical Care (ICU), Emergency Department, EMS and Interfacility Transport, Inpatient Services, Obstetrics (maternity), Perioperative and es (surgery) and Medical Device Reprocessing (sterilization). As well, Medication Management and Infection Control will be assessed.
Five surveyors, from all across Canada, will be visiting the following 11 health care facilities: Brandon, Boissevain, Carberry, Deloraine, Dauphin, Grandview, Minnedosa, Ste. Rose, Russell (EMS), Neepawa (EMS) and Virden (EMS).
Preparation for the Accreditation Survey occurs year-round, with teams of direct care providers, support staff, administration, management and patients. Ongoing partnerships with educational institutions, First Nation communities as well as physicians occurs continuously to ensure the best decisions are being made for staff, patients and their families.
Accreditation Canada Seal
As a patient or family, if you happen to be at one of the sites being surveyed this May, please feel welcome to participate. Surveyors do approach patients and families, and although conversations are not mandatory, they help provide direct experience on how well PMH is meeting the Standards and Required Organizational Practices.
When you see the Accreditation Canada seal, you can be certain that the health care organization is working hard to meet Accreditation Canada standards to deliver safe, high-quality care. Better quality means better health.
Audiology Clinic Moves to the Brandon Regional Health Centre
Audiology Clinic Moves to the Brandon Regional Health Centre
May is Speech and Hearing Month. This year Prairie Mountain Health has supported Audiology to relocate and update their clinic space in Brandon, Manitoba.
As of April 2026, the Audiology Clinic in Brandon, Manitoba has moved from Town Centre (800 Rosser Avenue) to the Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC; 150 McTavish Avenue East).
Pictured from left to right: Leanne Gardiner, Clinical Service Lead – Audiology, Jenna Foster – Audiology Assistant, Kristalshell Lauren – Administrative Secretary, Britney Watters – Audiologist, and Melanie Mus – Audiology Assistant.
The Audiology Clinic had been based in the Town Centre since the 1990s and was well established. Upon hearing the news there was space available at the BRHC, the Clinic started planning for the move in November 2025.
Planning for the transition was complex. There were two booths that required disassembly with panels weighing up to 300 lbs each. A specialty contractor was used to reassemble the booths on site. Diagnostic equipment had to be carefully packed and recalibrated once it moved over to the hospital. A reception area needed to be planned for to greet clients for their appointments. The new clinic space required demolition and renovation which was completed by an external contractor.
Coordination was required across multiple departments and teamwork made the project a reality. With support from Capital and Infrastructure, Materiels Management, Facility Engineering, Environmental Services and Therapy Services teams, the renovation, moving and unpacking process went smoothly.
The inside of one of two sound booths on site at the Brandon Regional Health Centre.
On April 17, 2026, staff from Town Centre – A5 Public Health, gave a thoughtful farewell to the Audiology Clinic staff. A come and go cake and tea was organized where colleagues could come and say their farewells. This was very appreciated by the Audiology team.
On April 22, 2026, the Audiology Clinic began seeing clients in the new space. Public parking is available in the main front lot at BRHC or at nearby street meters. A designated drop-off and pick-up zone is located at the main hospital entrance loop. Once inside, follow the signage to the Assiniboine Centre reception desk to check in for your appointment. To check in for appointments, clients can check in at the Assiniboine Centre reception desk.
Leanne Gardiner, the Clinical Service Lead for Audiology, stated “The new clinic is updated and welcoming to our clients. We are happy to be at the Brandon Regional Health Centre for many years to come!”
For information on what services are provided by the Brandon Audiology Clinic or how to obtain services across the region, please visit Audiology Services.
