At the cornerstone of our communities are the hospitals and healthcare services that touch the lives of each and every one of its residents. It has been an honour to be entrusted with the profound responsibility of leading an organization that touches so many. I am privileged to have led Halton Healthcare as President and CEO for the last nine years and to have been a part of a team that lives its values of compassion, accountability and respect for the last 23 years.
There are so many reasons for me to be grateful as I prepare for my last day in a job that I love, on March 24. Together we have written a great history – one that we can take great pride in. I am humbled to have worked alongside an amazing team of exceptional staff, physicians, and volunteers – all striving to care for our patients, communities and each other and committed to providing ‘exemplary patient experiences, always’. Our teams have faced exhausting challenges and made enormous sacrifices to ensure that our patients, families and communities were always cared for. This was never more true than over the past three years of the pandemic. I will always be grateful for all the support I have received over the years, and want to thank our staff, physicians, volunteers, Board of Directors, the hospital foundations, our donors, the greater community and our many partners for helping transform Halton Healthcare into the high-performing healthcare team and organization it is today.
Early in my career, I learned that there are few things that can be achieved alone. The many incredible memories that I take with me are wrapped in the accomplishments of our teams. Together we celebrated the opening of the new Emergency Department at Georgetown Hospital and renovation of its Diagnostic Imaging department, opened our new Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and welcomed our patients through the doors of the Milton District Hospital expansion project. In the midst of the pandemic, we launched our new strategic plan, Inspiring Care, which positions us with a shared purpose, TO CARE, that is woven in all that we do. With the successful launch of our upgraded electronic health information system and our new Digital Roadmap, we have moved the organization into the next digital horizon in care delivery and are enhancing high-quality, safe, patient care by empowering inter-professional collaboration and transforming the staff and physician experience. We have begun crucial work in clinical service planning to allow us to be even more responsive to the evolving needs of our communities and as a founding member of the Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team, I will be forever proud of the leadership we continue to show in broader health system transformation.
More recently I have been reflecting with pride on the amazing culture that we nurture at Halton Healthcare. While we come from different backgrounds and experiences, we are an organization that embraces diversity and we are empowered to excel through our commitment to well-being and belonging. Together our teams care for each other in as many ways as we care for our patients, families and our communities. This is so evident that we were recently recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures by Waterstone Human Capital.
With that, I am leaving with full confidence in the board, senior leadership team, our physicians and all of our staff, volunteers and partners that work to care for patients in different ways. Halton Healthcare and its dedicated people will always hold a special place in my heart, and I know that I am leaving it in good hands as Hilary Rodrigues, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, Performance & Chief Financial Officer leads the organization until Melissa Farrell officially takes her seat as President and CEO on June 5.
To you all – thank you for your support and for entrusting me with the opportunity to take the organization this far with you. While I bid you a warm ‘farewell’, please know that I will be cheering you on as you continue to evolve and grow.