It was a real pleasure to welcome Janine Black from St. Joseph’s Care Group to the Lakehead Rotary Club.
Janine spoke in a way that made it easy to understand just how much St. Joseph’s is part of everyday life in Thunder Bay. Their work reaches people in so many different ways, often at moments when support matters most. From helping someone recover through rehabilitative care, to providing mental health and addiction services, to offering safe spaces like withdrawal management and the Safe Sobering program, their teams are there with compassion and consistency. She also shared the breadth of their work in long-term care and supportive housing, where people are not just cared for, but truly supported as part of a community.
One of the parts that stood out was the commitment to Indigenous-led care, guided by an elders council. It was a meaningful reminder of the importance of listening, learning, and building services in a way that reflects the people they serve. Janine spoke about investing in people, including creating pathways for Personal Support Workers to continue their education and grow into nursing roles. It is encouraging to see that kind of long-term thinking for both patients and staff.
It was also wonderful to hear from Gail Brescia, our fellow Rotarian, who shared the important role of the St. Joseph’s Foundation. Gail helped connect the dots between community support and patient care, showing how fundraising efforts directly help enhance programs and services across the organization.
Janine, thank you for spending time with us and for sharing your perspective so openly. It gave us all a better understanding of the work being done and the people behind it. We are grateful you joined us, and we appreciate everything you and your team do for the Thunder Bay community.