UCP Ribbon Cutting for New Addition

Welcome to Care Close to Home – written by the people who are at the heart of Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH). This ‘inside view’ is designed to help our communities get to know the WDMH team – in their own words. This month, we hear from Cindy Kerkhof – a member of the Pharmacy team.

I was born at WDMH and have lived in Winchester all my life. I have worked as a Pharmacy Technician in the community for last 31 years, with the last nine at WDMH.

I have a passion for WDMH and our patients. I love helping people and making a positive difference in someone’s life.  I include this philosophy in all my pharmaceutical tasks right down to smiling to the patients and making them feel special and appreciated. My main goal when I start each and every day is patient safety. In fact, in January, I received my designation from the Ontario College of Pharmacists as a Registered Pharmacy Technician after two years of study.

As a Registered Pharmacy Technician, my days are busy and fast paced. The tasks include filling prescriptions for the patients. This is not a task that I take lightly.  There are a number of checks to consider: Do I have the correct patient? Are there any allergies? Are there any interactions? Is this the correct dose? Do I have the correct drug? Is the patient on similar therapy?  I work closely with our pharmacists to ensure accuracy and timeliness for everything we dispense. Medication safety is key in all my daily functions.

The same attention to detail goes into preparing chemotherapy and the safe management of cytotoxic drugs.  I also make other medications such as intravenous mixtures, syringes, and eye drops. 

Over the years, I have taught many students. This is one of my favorite tasks. I teach them to take pride in their profession and tell them to make every product as if they were making it for a loved one. 

As a professional at WDMH, I am grateful to help each and every patient and hope to make a difference in their lives.  It gives me the opportunity to provide care that is important to me.

[…]

 “It’s exciting and crazy and very hectic at the Playhouse when we officially announce the new season,” said Upper Canada Playhouse artistic director, Donnie Bowes. “People were in the parking lot by 7 a.m., and we didn’t even open until 9 a.m. The front office staff was swamped. The phone lines were frozen with individuals and companies calling in. The web site was swarmed.”

“I actually go into my office, hide under the desk, and close the blinds,” Bowes laughed, “leaving everything in the capable hands of Roseann Kelly, and the rest of the great front of house staff. Bill Halman of the Corus Entertainment radio station out of Cornwall did a live remote from the Playhouse office November 3.” 

The moment the new season is announced and seat sales and flex pass sales are available, patrons are ready. Drawing over 40,000 visitors to the area makes the Playhouse one of the biggest tourist attractions in South Dundas. The response to this year’s announcement of eight new shows starting in April 2015, is already overwhelming. “Generally, we have 50 per cent of our seats pre-sold by Christmas time,” Bowes said.

Tickets to the 2015 season will provide patrons with passports to hilarious comedies, uplifting concerts, fascinating characters and unforgettable stories.

April will see Oh, Canada, We Sing For Thee! a blockbuster live concert of the smash hits of Canada’s legendary artists from Gordon Lightfoot and Michael Bublé to the Barenaked Ladies, Shania Twain and the Guess Who. Leisa Way and her sensational band will headline in this showcase. 

The summer will bring four stellar comedies to the theatre, leading off with Stag and Doe by Mark Crawford, a hot new show taking Canada by storm. A hilarious look at a small town where both a stag and doe and a wedding reception are scheduled for the same hall on the same night, it promises to leave audiences roaring with laughter.

Hilda’s Yard, written by Norm Foster, and featuring the great playwright/actor himself, is set in the back yard of a 1950s home where Sam and Hilda Fluck are happily settling in to be “empty-nesters” until their grown children both land back home to stay! 

Touch and Go by Derek Benfield arrives in August with the wit, the insanity and the huge laughs of the British sitcom tradition. When a man’s wife is away, he lends his flat to an old friend who plots to have a liaison with a lady friend. Colourful characters, clever lines and outrageous antics will leave audiences laughing.

Rounding out the summer comedies will be Norm Foster’s The Gentleman Clothier, a magical tale where a Halifax tailor makes a wish that transforms his life in wonderful ways he definitely did not expect. This is a comedy filled with lots of laughs, and plenty of heart.  

In the fall, the irascible, opinionated and hilarious Lucien, AKA Marshall Button, is coming to town for a brief run. But this time, Lucien is bringing along his old pal, Jimmy the Janitor (popular comedian, Sandy Gillis) and the two are off to find work at the Alberta Oil Sands. Can Canada’s petroleum industry survive this Fort Mac Attack of comic chaos?

Next up will be the live musical revue, Memories of Rhythm & Blues, brought to the Playhouse by Chris McHarge and Colin Stewart, the same team whose sensational Memories of Rock & Roll was sold out in hours at the Playhouse this fall. 

Usher in Christmas 2015 with the world premiere of Have Yourself a Swinging Little Country Christmas, with the wonderful Leisa Way and her Wayward Wind Band. This show features music and dances that will delight the hearts of the very youngest to the very oldest. It’s a Christmas show for the whole family.

Contact Upper Canada Playhouse to pick up your tickets for the wonderful 2015 theatre season. 

[…]

The Municipality of South Dundas is restructuring its water and sewer operations, and that is not without fallout. This restructuring has resulted in the elimination of the supervisor of water and wastewater operations. South Dundas […]