Rooted in RVH’s strategic plan, Vitally You, the awards highlight the people and teams who bring the organization’s values to life each day through acts of compassion and kindness, a commitment to collaboration, the courage to think differently, and a drive to continuously improve the experience of patients, care partners and colleagues. Whether at the bedside, behind the scenes, or supporting the broader community, their contributions help shape a culture where people feel valued, supported and inspired to do their best work.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I extend our congratulations to this year’s award recipients,” said RVH Board Chair Kimberly Matheson. “They demonstrate what is possible when talent, compassion and purpose come together. Through their everyday actions, they inspire those around them and strengthen our culture, all while helping ensure patients and care partners receive the very best care. We are deeply grateful for the impact they make across RVH.”

Recipients are selected by the Board through a peer nomination process. For 2026, there were 102 unique individual and team submissions, illustrating the depth of talent within the organization and a shared commitment to excellence that continues to move RVH forward.

The 2026 RVH Board of Directors’ Awards of Excellence winners are:

Team Up Award (Individual)

Natalie Baks – Patient Service Clerk, Oncology-Outpatient Clerical

Team Up Award (Team)

Regional Privacy Team

Be Kind Award

Andrea Bertram – Senior Medical Radiation Technologist (MRT), Interventional Radiology & Angiography/Interventional

Do Great Things Award

Emily House – Decision Support Consultant, Decision Support

Inspire Trust Award

Tammy Crews – Registered Practical Nurse, Medicine Treatment Clinic

Be Bold Award

Joy Greene – Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Navigator, Oncology Administration

Excellence in Volunteering Award

Cyrille Couvrette – RVH Volunteer

Excellence in Care (Professional Staff) Award

Dr. Mark Lewis – Chief, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

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Barrie community members showed up once again for Smile Cookie week, helping drive this year’s fundraising total forward one cookie, one smile, and one act of generosity at a time.

Barrie’s Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign raised an astounding $210,443.96 in support of RVH and Hospice Simcoe – Seasons Centre, helping fund compassionate care for local families at every stage of life.

At just $2 each, that total represents more than 100,000 Smile Cookies baked, decorated, sold, and shared—a remarkable show of community support powered by thousands of small acts of kindness.

“Our community consistently shows up for Smile Cookie week in the most incredible way,” said Mary-Anne Frith, Chair of RVH Foundation’s Board of Directors and the Keep Life Wild Campaign. “Every cookie purchased is a reminder of what’s possible when people rally around local care. We’re grateful to every person who bought a cookie and every Tim Hortons team member who helped make this campaign possible.”

Funds raised through this year’s campaign will support the future expansion of RVH’s Maternal Child Program, helping ensure local families can access exceptional care close to home right from day one.

Proceeds will also support Hospice Simcoe’s compassionate end-of-life care, grief support, and community programs for individuals and families navigating some of life’s most difficult moments.

“We are so grateful to the Tim Hortons owners, their teams, and to everyone in our community who purchased and enjoyed Smile Cookies!” said Kelly Hubbard, Executive Director of Hospice Simcoe – Seasons Centre.  “No one should die or grieve alone, and thanks to this incredible campaign we are able to provide support, free of charge, to those in our community in need.”

This year’s campaign also marks continued progress toward a transformational commitment from local Tim Hortons owners, who pledged a combined $1 million each to both RVH and Hospice Simcoe Seasons Centre in support of full-circle care for the region.

From the bakers and decorators to every person who stopped in for a cookie, Barrie proved once again that kindness adds up quickly especially when shared together.

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Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) Auxiliary continues to play an essential role in strengthening patient care, contributing more than $200,000 in gifts in 2025 to support priority equipment and clinical enhancements across the organization.

Patients rely on RVH to deliver high-quality care close to home, and the Auxiliary’s grassroots commitment to addressing areas of greatest need helps make that possible every day.

From the simplest of needs like linen hampers, commodes, cushions, and medication carts that helped Team RVH and our patients through this past winter’s challenging respiratory season to cardiac monitors and gynecological equipment that allow RVH to continue to expand women’s health services in our community, the Auxiliary’s support is felt throughout the health centre.

Additional items purchased with this gift include:

• Specialized applicators to deliver localized radiation treatment for Radiation Oncology
• Stress-testing treadmills for Cardiorespiratory Diagnostics
• Walkers for Physiotherapy
• Wheelchairs for Occupational Therapy
• Probes for the Intensive Care unit

These investments reflect the Auxiliary’s deep connection to the community and its longstanding commitment to improving experiences for patients and care partners. Through bake sales, bazaars, 50/50 draws, auctions, and their businesses – Cafe Royale, Victoria’s Gift Shop and the Lotto Booth – the Auxiliary not only brings community together, it strengthens it.

Find out more about the RVH Auxiliary and how to get involved at Our Auxiliary.

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“The annual Smile Cookie campaign is a powerful reminder of what community truly means. For the past 30 years, Tim Hortons restaurant owners, team members, and guests have come together to create real change for people right in their own neighbourhoods,” says Axel Schwan, President of Tim Hortons. “With nearly 700 local charities and community groups supported this year, the reach of this campaign has never been greater. We encourage everyone to visit their local Tims and join us in making a difference.”

Smile Cookies are Tims signature Chocolate Chunk Cookies that are hand-decorated with pink and blue icing to create a smile.

“Smile Cookie week is something our community looks forward to each year. It’s a joyful way to support our tiniest patients,” said Pamela Ross, CEO, RVH Foundation. “Funds raised through initiatives like this help support exceptional care at RVH for patients during some of life’s most important moments, including labour, delivery, and newborn care. We’re so grateful to Tim Hortons owners, team members, and guests for making every cookie count.”

“Smile Cookie Week is an exciting time,” says Kelly Hubbard, Executive Director, Hospice Simcoe – Seasons Centre. “Funds raised through this wonderful campaign allow us to continue to provide adults and children with compassionate end-of-life care services and essential grief support programs. We are very grateful for the incredible support we receive from the Barrie and area Tim Hortons owners, their teams, and everyone who purchases a Smile Cookie.”

To support this year’s Smile Cookie campaign, guests can visit their local Tim Hortons or place an order through the Tims app for delivery. Bulk pre-orders for Smile Cookies can be placed through an order form at Tims restaurants.

A cute and cuddly four-in one reversible Smile Cookie plushie is also available this year. Net proceeds from plushie sales will be donated to local charity and community groups.

• Starting April 27 until May 3, 100 per cent of the proceeds from Smile Cookie sales will be donated to nearly 700 charities and community groups across Canada, which were selected by local Tim Hortons restaurant owners.

• Last year, Tims® guests helped raise $22.6 million through the annual Smile Cookie campaign. More than $151 million has been raised across Canada and the U.S. since the Smile Cookie campaign first launched in 1996.
• Locally, Barrie’s Tim Hortons restaurant owners have stepped up in a big way—committing to raise $1 million for RVH and another $1 million for Hospice Simcoe through the spring Smile Cookie Campaign.

• In 2025, Tim Hortons restaurant owners rallied the community to raise more than $220,000 which was split equally between RVH and Hospice Simcoe.

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Located at the heart of the health centre, the new space reflects RVH’s commitment to becoming a regional academic health sciences centre, where education, innovation and care come together to improve patient outcomes.

Inside, glass-walled rooms and shared spaces make learning visible. Simulation labs, observation areas and flexible classrooms are designed to mirror real hospital environments, so teams can train in settings that feel familiar and real.

Here, teams can work through complex situations in a realistic setting. Using high-fidelity mannequins and virtual reality, they can respond to emergency scenarios, refine decision-making and learn together in a safe, controlled environment.

That preparation matters, because when teams are confident and ready, patients benefit.

“Every day, our teams show up ready to care for this region,” said Gail Hunt, President and CEO. “This centre is our commitment to them — to give them the tools, space and support to keep learning, to keep growing and to keep delivering the best possible care. When we invest in our people, we strengthen care for every patient who walks through our doors.”

The Centre for Integrated Learning brings healthcare professionals together across disciplines. Physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and learners train side by side, building the communication, trust and teamwork that are essential in high-pressure situations.

It is also where experienced teams hone their skills and mentor the next generation. Students, residents and new staff learn alongside those who have done it before, building confidence and skills that carry into patient care.

“When we invest in education, the impact grows far beyond one moment or one patient,” said Dr. Jeffrey Tyberg, Chief of Staff and Vice-President, Academic and Medical Affairs. “When experienced team members share their knowledge and mentor others, that expertise carries forward. It creates a ripple effect, strengthening teams and improving care for hundreds of patients over time. That is how we continue to raise the standard of care across our region.”

The centre supports hands-on, team-based learning across programs. Teams can practise the moments they experience every day, assessing patients, making decisions, communicating clearly and working together to provide safe, effective care. It also prepares them for the moments they may see less often, but where every second matters, including trauma, cardiac emergencies and other complex situations.

Each year, RVH supports hundreds of learners and provides thousands of hours of hands-on training. This new space expands that work, helping teams build skills, strengthen decision-making and continue growing throughout their careers.

It also strengthens RVH’s ability to attract and train the healthcare professionals our region needs, now and into the future.

The Centre for Integrated Learning is fully donor funded and made possible through the generosity of the community.

A $1 million gift from Innovative Automation, a Barrie-based company and global leader in advanced manufacturing technologies, is helping bring virtual reality and immersive learning tools into the hands of care teams within this new space, helping to transform how medical education is delivered. Their contribution, along with others to the RVH Foundation’s Keep Life Wild campaign, is helping advance RVH’s role as a regional leader in learning, innovation, and clinical excellence.

This new centre is more than a place to learn. It reflects who RVH is becoming: an academic health sciences centre where learning is part of everyday care, and where that commitment leads to better outcomes for patients and families, close to home.

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Patients across Simcoe Muskoka can now access advanced lung testing closer to home at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), thanks to new technology and expanded services.

The health centre has introduced a new, minimally invasive procedure that helps care teams diagnose lung conditions, including lung cancer, with greater accuracy. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Canada, making timely diagnosis critical.

“Bringing this technology and expanding our program is a big step forward for our region,” said Leanne Weeks, Vice President, Clinical, and Chief Nursing Executive at RVH. “For patients, this means faster answers, fewer repeat procedures and the ability to begin treatment sooner. In the past, many patients had to travel to larger centres, including Toronto, for this type of specialized testing.”

The new technology, called Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS), is a minimally invasive day procedure that allows doctors to examine the lungs and nearby lymph nodes using ultrasound technology. During the procedure, a thin camera and ultrasound probe are gently guided through the airway into the lungs. This allows physicians to see areas that cannot be seen with traditional bronchoscopy and take precise biopsy samples when needed.

EBUS can help diagnose several conditions, including lung cancer, infections and inflammatory lung diseases.

The addition of Rapid On-Site Evaluation (ROSE) makes the procedure even more efficient. A cytologist—a laboratory specialist trained to examine cells and tissue samples—is present in the procedure room to assess samples immediately and confirm whether enough tissue has been collected for an accurate diagnosis. If more tissue is needed, additional samples can be taken during the same procedure, reducing the need for patients to return for repeat testing.

“This is a great example of how our clinical and pathology teams work together to improve care,” said Dr. Ali Malik, Respirologist, and Interventional Pulmonologist at RVH. “Having that level of expertise available during the procedure ensures adequate diagnostic material, minimizes procedure time, and prevents need for repeat procedures. It helps us move more quickly from suspicion of disease to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up—so patients can get answers and begin the next steps in their care sooner.”

Not all hospitals in Ontario that offer EBUS also provide ROSE, making this an important advancement for patients in Simcoe Muskoka.

To support this work, RVH has expanded its endoscopy program with the addition of a fourth procedure room. The new space will allow the hospital to perform about 2,600 more endoscopy procedures each year, improving access to important diagnostic tests.

By increasing capacity, RVH is also creating more space for specialized procedures and growing programs.

“These advancements are helping ensure people in our region can access leading-edge lung care sooner and closer to home, keeping them connected to their families and support systems,” said Weeks. “As our community continues to grow, expanding access to advanced diagnostics and treatment is essential.”

The procedures are currently performed several times each week at RVH, with plans to complete up to 240 procedures a year.

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RVH becomes the seventh partner of KHA, which was founded in 2017 by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and CHEO. Since its inception, KHA’s network of partners have worked to streamline and advance paediatric health care, with the goal of improving children, youth and family experiences, no matter where they are seeking care.

“When a child is sick or injured, everything else stops for a family. In those moments, nothing matters more than knowing your child will receive the right care,” said Gail Hunt, president and CEO, RVH. “Partnering with Kids Health Alliance helps strengthen how we deliver that care at RVH and supports our teams as they continue caring for children and youth across our region.”

The partnership will focus on enhancing care for children and youth in the RVH Emergency Department (ED), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and inpatient paediatric unit.

“This partnership will help us care for more complex paediatric needs, strengthen how we support our teams and continue building a hospital that better supports kids and families,” said Leanne Weeks, vice-president, clinical, and chief nursing executive, RVH. “It’s about making sure care is consistent, coordinated and designed with children in mind.”

RVH joins six other community hospital partners: Markham Stouffville Hospital, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, Pembroke Regional Hospital, Humber River Health, Michael Garron Hospital and Southlake Regional Health Centre.

“KHA’s guiding principle from our founding remains true today: where a child lives should not impact the care they receive. Care closer to home matters. That’s why, on behalf of the KHA Board and current community hospital partners, we’re thrilled to partner with Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre to continue to improve the health-care system for children, youth and their families,” said Dr. Ronald Cohn, KHA Board Chair and President and CEO of SickKids. “We look forward to collaborating with RVH, a leader in the community, to support and learn from their work in delivering high-quality paediatric health care.”

“KHA is uniting organizations across Ontario with a singular mission: to transform the health and well-being of children and youth. Through collaboration, innovative education and targeted capacity building, KHA is driving real change and better outcomes for families across the province,” said Kelly McMillen, Interim Executive Director of KHA and Executive Director of SickKids Learning Institute. “Community hospitals play an essential role in caring for the province’s children, and RVH’s addition to KHA creates a strategic opportunity to deepen regional synergies with nearby partner hospitals, including Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and Southlake Regional Health Centre. We’re thrilled to welcome RVH to the network.”

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At 55, Mike was at a routine physical required for his commercial driver’s licence when his physician mentioned he was due for colorectal cancer screening using a fecal immunochemical test (FIT).

At the time, Mike had no symptoms and no family history of colorectal cancer. Having completed a screening test a few years earlier, he wasn’t concerned. 

“I didn’t think anything would come of it,” he says. “I felt completely fine.”

This time, the result came back abnormal. Within weeks, Mike had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

“I was stage 3 by that point,” he says. “If I had put the test off, it might have been too late for me.”

Colorectal cancer often develops without symptoms in its early stages, which is why screening is so important. When symptoms do appear, they can include changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, abdominal discomfort or unexplained weight loss—signs that can easily be overlooked or attributed to other causes.

Following his diagnosis, Mike underwent surgery to remove the tumour and affected lymph nodes, followed by six months of chemotherapy at RVH’s Hudson Regional Cancer Centre. 

Today, Mike is cancer-free and focused on what matters most: being a husband, father and grandfather. Looking back, he says the message is simple.

“You rarely feel cancer when it first starts,” he says. “I felt healthy. I had no symptoms. The only reason it was caught was because of the FIT test.”

For most people at average risk, screening starts with a FIT test —a simple, at-home test that checks for tiny amounts of blood in the stool that you wouldn’t be able to see. This can be one of the earliest signs of colorectal cancer.

Through Ontario’s ColonCancerCheck program, FIT is recommended every two years for people aged 50 to 74 and is available at no cost.

“The FIT test is easy,” says Mike. “You swab your stool, put it in the container, and mail it in. That’s it. It literally saved my life.”

While the idea of a stool test may feel uncomfortable, it’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to catch cancer early. The test is mailed directly to your home in discreet, plain packaging. It can be completed in minutes and returned by mail in a prepaid package.

“As a regional cancer centre, RVH plays an important role in supporting screening participation and ensuring people can access timely diagnosis and treatment closer to home,” says Dana Naylor, Vice President, Clinical and Regional Vice President, Cancer Services, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario). “When cancers are caught early through routine screening, it allows us to move quickly to connect patients to the care they need, without having to leave their community.” 

Now cancer-free, Mike continues to give back as a member of RVH’s Hudson Regional Cancer Centre Patient, Family and Caregiver Advisory Committee.

He’s also using his voice to encourage others to take that first step.

“We all know someone affected by cancer, but we don’t think it will happen to us,” he says. “I can’t stress how easy it is to complete a simple test that could save your life.”

Since sharing his story, Mike says friends and colleagues have taken their FIT test—leading to more people getting screened and at least one early detection.

For help getting up to date with breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer call the Simcoe Muskoka Cancer Screening Hotline 1-866-608-6910 and inquire if they are eligible to have a FIT kit mailed directly to their home. 

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A decades long partnership between Snow Valley Resort and Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) continues to make a lasting impact on healthcare in Simcoe Muskoka. With the success of the third annual Wild Winter Weeknight, Snow Valley Resort has now raised more than $635,000 for advanced patient care through community-driven events.

This year’s Wild Winter Weeknight event alone brought in $75,000 as families and winter enthusiasts gathered at Snow Valley Resort for an evening of snow tubing, snowshoeing, magic, and sweet treats—all in support of bringing advanced care closer to home.

“We enjoy hosting Wild Winter Weeknight year after year,” said Ron Sheardown, co-owner, Snow Valley Resort. “There’s a lot of energy around this event, and it’s exciting to see the community come together for some winter fun while supporting RVH patients and their families.”

Presented by PureHealth Pharmacy, Wild Winter Weeknight continues to grow as one of the region’s most joyful winter traditions, showing what’s possible when community spirit meets a shared commitment to local healthcare.

“Wild Winter Weeknight continues to show the power of community,” said Mary-Anne Frith, Chair of the RVH Foundation Board and Keep Life Wild campaign. “We’re grateful to Snow Valley Resort, our sponsors, and everyone who came out to support the event. Nights like these help ensure families across our region can access advanced care, right here at home.”

Proceeds from the evening support RVH’s Keep Life Wild campaign, a bold, community-led effort focused on enhancing specialized care in cancer, heart, kidney, stroke, trauma, and mental health for everyone in Simcoe Muskoka.

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Northwest provides healthcare real estate solutions to physicians and healthcare professionals across Canada, including the Barrie Primary Care Campus on Bayview Drive. For this project with RVH, Northwest will lease the land, as well as fund and oversee construction of the new healthcare services building. The building will be constructed on an existing staff parking lot located on the other side of Gallie Court from RVH’s main building.

“Northwest has a long history of partnering with leading healthcare providers to create modern, purpose-built spaces that support high-quality care,” says Zach Vaughan, CEO, Northwest Healthcare Properties REIT. “By working with RVH on this new health services building, we are helping to bring primary care, specialist and complementary services together on one campus, improving care for patients.”

The current estimate for completion of the building is 2029. Next steps in the project include pre-consultation meetings for site planning and preparation, as well as ongoing work on the building design by Northwest. 

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