News release

Province Thanks Health Board Members for Service, Announces Administrator

Health and Wellness

Nova Scotia is continuing the transition to one provincial health authority, appointing an administrator to lead the province's nine district health authorities, beginning July 1.

Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine met with district health authority board chairs today, June 6, to express his appreciation for their service, and share the appointment of an administrator leading up to the consolidation of the health system on April 1, 2015.

"I want to thank all of the board members who have served the health system and their communities. We owe a debt of gratitude to these volunteers," said Mr. Glavine. "These leaders, along with their boards, have continued to offer input and support during this period of transition and, out of respect and appreciation, I wanted to personally inform them of our plans to transfer governance later this month."

The services of the voluntary boards of directors of the nine boards will be no longer be required under the Health Authorities Act, as of June 30.

George McLellan, a senior administrator with significant board and volunteer experience, will become the administrator July 1. There will no impact on delivery of health services and programs. The IWK Health Centre will remain a separate entity, so its board of directors will not be affected.

The CEOs of the health authorities will begin reporting to Mr. McLellan on July 1.

Mr. McLellan will oversee the nine authorities until the new provincial board is in place. His responsibilities will include approving credentialing and privileging physicians, monitoring quality and patient-safety risks, business planning and financial monitoring. Mr. McLellan will not design the future structure.

"We are pleased that Mr. McLellan has agreed to take on this extremely important role and have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the system into this change," said Mr. Glavine. "Having a provincial administrator with a provincial view will be of tremendous value as we begin to ready these organizations for the new structure."

Mr. Glavine said July is an appropriate time to transfer authority to an administrator as the boards do not meet during the summer.

It is typical to select a board administrator to provide consistent oversight before the new board is created. The authorities will remain as legal entities until the board of directors for the new health authority is recruited and oriented early next year to begin April 1, 2015.

Mr. McLellan is originally from Sydney and has held numerous roles in government, provincial and municipal, and recently retired from his role as president and CEO of Medavie/EMS.

Mr. McLellan has served on a number of boards, and has been active in fundraising, including the initial capital campaign for the QEII Hospital. He is a member of the board of governors of Dalhousie University, as well as the boards of Accreditation Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Health Care Improvement.