Island Health’s interim CEO, Kathy MacNeil, has been appointed to the job permanently.
She is now Island Health president and chief executive officer, the health authority announced Monday.
Island Health board chair Leah Hollins said MacNeil has a wealth of health system experience and knows its residents and communities.
“MacNeil is the right person, in the right place, at the right time to lead Island Health into the future,” said Hollins in a statement.
MacNeil’s salary will be about $340,000 annually with total available compensation including such things as bonuses and benefits set by the provincial government at approximately $400,000, Island Health said.
MacNeil takes over from Brendan Carr, who was paid $403,451 in 2015-2016, which included a $314,964 salary plus bonuses, benefits, pension contributions and expenses.
Carr was hired in 2012 as executive vice-president and chief medical officer and became president a year later. Carr resigned in June 2017 to take over as CEO at the William Osler Health System, an acute-care community hospital system, one of the largest in Ontario, — serving Brampton and North Etobicoke.
At that time MacNeil was appointed interim president.
Carr’s tenure was marked by an effort to change the top-down leadership culture in the health authority, the construction of the North Island Hospital’s two campuses, challenges including long surgery wait-lists and the rocky rollout of an electronic health record system at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital that pitted some doctors against the administration.
Don Hubbard, chairman of the Island Health board at that time, said the next leader’s first challenge would be tackling long surgery wait lists. Vancouver Island patients face some of the longest wait times for joint replacement surgeries in the country, according to a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Hollins said MacNeil has proven herself to have the experience and critical leadership traits needed for the job.
She was the clear “and unanimous” choice by the board, said Island Health.
MacNeil joined Island Health in 2015 as executive vice-president of quality, safety and experience. Island Health, in its statement, said MacNeil tried to foster a patient- and family-centred culture, learning and collaboration, and courageous innovation.
MacNeil previously served with the Capital Health Region in Halifax.
She has a master of arts in leadership specializing in health from Royal Roads University, and a bachelor of science in physiotherapy from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Island Health said it ran a nationwide recruitment process which concluded in early February.
MacNeil, who is on vacation and not back to work until next week, said in a statement that she wants to work with others to improve the health and care of the health authority’s population. “And I am committed to improving the health-care system through working better together,” she said.
Island Health is one of six health authorities in B.C. and provides health care to about 765,000 people on Vancouver Island, the Gulf islands, and mainland communities north of Powell River.
