Sudbury.com has obtained a leaked memo to staff from HSN CEO Dominic Giroux, outlining a major shakeup at the senior staff level.
During an HSN board meeting on Jan. 9, while discussing the board's strategic plan, Giroux made mention that he wanted to see a more streamlined approach at the management level, and a little more than 100 days into his tenure, Giroux has axed five senior management positions.
Those positions are:
- Vice-President, Process Improvement, Quality and Patient Safety, held until 2017 by Debbie Barnard;
- Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, held by Paul St. George;
- Associate Vice-President, Medical Affairs, held until 2016 by Dr. Sarah Strasser;
- Associate Vice-President, Acute Care, held until 2017 by Grace St. Jean;
- Chief, Communications and Community Engagement, held by Viviane Lapointe.
In the most recent ‘Public Sector Salary Disclosure’ list, the total compensation for these five positions was $802,750. The responsibilities that fell under those positions have been absorbed and reassigned within the remaining senior HSN team.
Lapointe and St. George will both serve in advisory roles to Rhonda Watson and Joe Pilon respectively.
The restructuring will see senior managers Dr. Chris Bourdon, vice president medical and academic affairs, David McNeil, Senior Vice President Patient Experience and Digital Transformation, and Rhonda Watson, Vice President People Relations and Corporate Affairs all report directly to Giroux, as opposed to previously when they all reported to Senior Vice President and COO Joe Pilon.
Incidentally, Pilon will be retiring in August and the plan is to conduct a national search for his replacement. In the mean time, Pilon will directly lead the directors of finance, support services, facilities management, materials management, decision support and reporting, and the manager of business development.
David McNeil has been promoted to the role of senior vice president, patient experience and digital transformation. He will lead the vice president and chief nursing executive, the vice president, cancer and clinical support, the chief information and privacy officer, the chief medical information officer, the interim director of organizational excellence and patient relations, and Dr. Carrie Bourassa who will serve as part-time Special Advisor for Indigenous Health.
Maureen McLelland has been appointed as special advisor to the CEO for strategic planning, until March 2019. She will support a 31-member Strategic Planning Steering Committee tasked to recommend by December a four-page focused 2019-2024 Strategic Plan for HSN and HSNRI with no more than five key goals or aspirations and no more than 25 outcomes to be achieved by 2024.
The senior management team will be reduced from 13 people down to 10 and will be made up of Giroux and the following people:
- Dr. John Fenton, Chief of Staff;
- David McNeil, Senior Vice-President, Patient Experience and Digital Transformation;
- Joe Pilon, Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer;
- Dr. Chris Bourdon, Vice-President, Medical and Academic Affairs;
- Lisa Smith, Interim Vice-President and Chief Nursing Executive (pending a search for a permanent appointment);
- Mark Hartman, Vice-President, Cancer and Clinical Support;
- Dr. Janet McElhaney, Vice-President, Research;
- Rhonda Watson, Vice-President, People Relations and Corporate Affairs;
- Maureen McLelland, Special Advisor to the CEO, Strategic Planning (until March 2019).
In his memo to staff, Giroux explained that considerable thought went into making these changes.
"Every member of senior management except the Chief of Staff is seeing some change either in his or her supervisor, direct reports, job title or employment status. I know that change can be challenging, but change and evolution are crucial to our success. At the end of the day, we are in the business of providing the best health care possible and that is where we need to place our focus," said Giroux.
"I am very fortunate to be surrounded by such exceptional talent, and look forward to what’s ahead for HSN and HSNRI as we develop together our next strategic plan in the coming months."
Read the full memo here.
