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News Release
July 20, 2010
Patrick Gaskin earns top job as President & CEO of hospital
Media Release
Cambridge, ON (July 20, 2010) – Patrick Gaskin can remove the “acting” from his title as it was announced today that the 49-year-old Waterloo resident is Cambridge Memorial Hospital’s fourth President & Chief Executive Officer. He takes over the job effective immediately.
Mr. Gaskin, who has held the position on an interim basis since the September 16, 2009 termination of Julia N. Dumanian, brings 24 years of healthcare management experience to the hospital, which last month emerged from provincial control under Supervisor Murray Martin.
“Patrick has the ability to build and engage a strong team and hold people accountable at all levels of the organization,” Board Chair Chuck Phillips said in his praise of Mr. Gaskin, the driving force behind Cambridge Memorial Hospital’s recovery plan mandated by its funder to demonstrate fiscal accountability and sustainability. “His appointment was unanimously approved by the full Board of Directors of Cambridge Memorial Hospital.”
In making the announcement of its new and permanent President & Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Phillips also reported on the appointments of three other leaders hired in the past few weeks as part of the journey to rebuild public confidence in Cambridge Memorial Hospital:
- Susan Gregoroff, VP Clinical Programs & Chief Nursing Executive (May 31, 2010)
- Dr. Michael Lawrie, Chief of Staff (June 23, 2010)
- Mike Prociw, VP Finance & Corporate Services (Effective September 7, 2010)
“The Board of Directors of Cambridge Memorial Hospital is very pleased and confident in the new CMH executive leadership… it’s a streamlined team with lots of experience.”
As head of a $100-million organization with 1,200 employees, Mr. Gaskin has accepted a five-year term that will pay him an annual base salary of $285,000, plus the potential to earn a 20% bonus ($57,000). He is also entitled to a $1,000-per-month car allowance and enrolment in the hospital’s benefits and retirement program, including provision for six weeks’ vacation.
The bonus payments depend on his successful implementation of key elements of the Revised Hospital Improvement Plan (R-HIP) in Year 1 and then quality indicators as described in the province’s Excellent Care for All Act 2010 (Bill 46) in subsequent years.
As he did earlier in the day to all hospital staff, Mr. Phillips walked everyone through a slide presentation that detailed the exhaustive process the Board went through in determining the final outcome in selecting its most senior executive.
In April, the Board appointed a special committee – featuring its three senior members – to oversee the process and work with Canada’s largest executive search and assessment firm, Odgers & Berndtson. Their selection followed an RFP process that attracted the interest of four, well-recognized groups. Odgers & Berndtson has a major practice in healthcare leadership assessment and a strong track record in CEO searches throughout Ontario. And, said Mr. Phillips, they were the most competitive of the proposals received.
The following is a breakdown of the work that went into hiring the President & CEO of Cambridge Memorial Hospital:- Indentify and report on key challenges and requirements facing CMH
- A position description for the President & CEO based on similar CEO roles within the LHIN
- Assess Patrick Gaskin for the CMH President & CEO role
- Interviews with Board Chair Chuck Phillips, Supervisor Murray Martin, Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network CEO Sandra Hanmer, and leadership at the Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
- “360” interviews with external stakeholders, former peers, internal stakeholders/direct reports
- A full-day assessment of Acting President & CEO Patrick Gaskin
When all was said and done, Mr. Phillips said it was the conclusion of all involved that Patrick Gaskin was the “absolute fit” for Cambridge Memorial Hospital, citing the following references:- Critical thinking… the ability to quickly put problems in perspective and understand strategic issues
- Executive savvy… thoughtful planning and a drive to push projects to completion
- Team building… can forge an effective skills-based team
- Relationship management… approachability, ability to build alliances and engage people throughout the organization
With the new job, said Mr. Phillips, comes the following targets for Mr. Gaskin to meet:
Short Term Challenges:- Restore and maintain financial stability
- Build a capable senior team
- Positively engage CMH staff and community
Long Term Challenges:- Build solid partnerships with other health service providers and the WWLHIN
- Set a clear strategic direction
- Renew organization culture
“We were very careful about making decisions around the senior leadership team,” said Mr. Phillips. “Based on the detailed search and assessment that was carried out, it’s been clearly demonstrated that Cambridge Memorial Hospital has in place an outstanding team of executives required to meet the challenges that face healthcare organizations across the country.”
For his part, Patrick Gaskin was thrilled with the Board’s unanimous endorsement of his interim leadership and its move to sign him up permanently.
“It’s an exciting day for me both personally and professionally and also for the recognition it brings to many individuals who have made enormous contributions to this organization over the past 10 months under provincial supervision.”
With his sights set on a new strategic plan for the organization, Mr. Gaskin is excited about the opportunities to build partnerships with other healthcare providers in the region.
On a lighter note, he said his three children were also pleased with the news that Dad was going to be gainfully employed when they returned to school in September. Married to Fiona Main, they have three children – Robin, Mark and Katie.
Mr. Gaskin has an Honours Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Toronto and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Ottawa. He is also a Certified Health Executive of both the Canadian and American College of Health Service Executives.
For further information, please contact:
Alan Clay
Manager, Public Affairs & Communications
Cambridge Memorial Hospital
700 Coronation Blvd. | Cambridge ON | N1R 3G2
phone: 519-621-2333 ext 2483
mobile: 519-654-8334
e-mail aclay@cmh.org
website: www.cmh.org
Backgrounders:
Susan Gregoroff – Vice President, Clinical Programs & Chief Nursing Executive (CNE)- Began at CMH on May 31, 2010
- Provides clinical leadership and ensures exceptional patient care through changes in programs and services, adjusting skill mix levels and ALC strategies
- Spent 33 years at Hamilton Health Sciences in various leadership positions, including Chief of Nursing Practice and Clinical Manager positions in Critical Care and Coronary Care units
Dr. Michael Lawrie – Chief of Staff- Served in interim role since July 1, 2009
- Appointed permanent Chief of Staff effective June 23, 2010
- Long-time Cambridge resident and family physician
Mike Prociw – Vice President, Finance & Corporate Services and Chief Financial and Information Officer- Starts at CMH on September 7, 2010
- Currently Vice President of Finance, Informatics and Diagnostic Services and Chief Financial and Information Officer at Quinte Health Care, a four-site community hospital with an operating budget of $175 million
- Will provide leadership at CMH of portfolios including finance, project management and infrastructure, information technology, health information management & privacy, and decision support
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