Some changes in VCH leadership

To support Vancouver Coastal Health’s ongoing commitment to the more efficient and effective delivery of services, I have made some changes that reflect our priorities and demonstrate the depth of expertise that we can both attract and promote.

Firstly, I want to welcome Glen Copping as our new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Vice President of Systems Development & Performance. Glen joined us from Microsoft Corporation this week and will spend the immediate future getting to know his team while working with Mary Ackenhusen on a smooth transition to the finance and systems improvement portfolio.

Coinciding with Glen’s arrival is the appointment of David Handley as Vice President of Business Partnerships. David is already known to many of you through his work leading the Lower Mainland Business Initiatives and Support Services (BISS) team, as well as the Project Management Office for Lower Mainland Consolidation. In addition to continuing to lead BISS, David will oversee all aspects of our contractual and business partnerships such as those with HSSBC for services including Payroll, Accounts Receivable/Payable, Records & Benefits, and Supply Chain. He will report to Glen as CFO and also chair the Operations committee comprised of the Lower Mainland Executive Leads for LMC Services along with executives from the Ministry of Health and other health authorities

Another key priority for VCH is the Clinical and Systems Transformation (CST) project. Our Executive Director, Karin Olson, recently announced she is leaving VCH for a new challenge in Ontario. During the recruitment for a permanent replacement, Carole Gillam has accepted the role as Interim Executive Director for CST as we head into the intensive “Design, Build and Integrate” phase. A strategic relationship builder, Carole brings over 30 years of experience across the VCH continuum of care to the role and is leaving her position as Executive Director of Primary Care to join CST. Carole Park will now assume responsibility for the Integrated Primary and Community Care (IPCC) portfolio previously under Carole Gillam’s leadership.

The other change is an expansion of the role of Darcia Pope as Executive Director of Transformation within the CFO portfolio. Darcia will now assume regional leadership of the Home Health Redesign (HHR) initiative (previously known as Care Management) from Shannon Berg and Rena Van Der Wal, who both led this project through the first phase of design. Darcia will provide dedicated leadership and support for HHR as it moves from a pilot in Powell River to a regional rollout. This will allow Shannon to focus on the larger Home and Community portfolio along with regional initiatives such as residential care redesign, a new advanced care planning model and P4P for residential care. Darcia will also oversee completion of the current PARIS upgrades and identify enhancements necessary to support care redesign. The PARIS system is critical to improved patient care outcomes and productivity of our staff within the Home Health Redesign, so Darcia and Carole will work closely with Shannon, Rena and Karin over the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition for all aspects of this work. Team members currently working on Home Health Redesign and PARIS improvements at VCH will report to Darcia.

Please join me in wishing all of these individuals well in their new roles. I admire their collective commitment to our organization and I feel grateful to have such a wealth of talent to draw upon as opportunities arise.