Former WRHA CEO Postl takes over as Shared Health board chair

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This article was published 14/02/2024 (612 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former WRHA chief executive officer and University of Manitoba dean of medicine Dr. Brian Postl will chair the board of Shared Health.

NDP Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced a shuffle of the provincial health authority’s board of directors Wednesday.

“As we work to make sure every Manitoban has the care they need close to home, patients will benefit from having a diverse board with experts and highly qualified individuals leading the work of Shared Health,” Asagwara said in a release.

Postl replaces Brenna Shearer as chair. Shearer will continue on the board as a member for a three-year term.

“I recognize what an important task we as health-care leaders have ahead of us and am proud to lend my experience to help lead the work of Shared Health in the coming years,” Postl said.

Shared Health was established in 2018 and was designated the provincial health authority following the passage of Bill 10 in May 2021. Its first permanent board was announced in March 2022 by the former Progressive Conservative government.

The organization is responsible for the co-ordination and oversight of health-care services in Manitoba, including emergency medical services and diagnostics, and is the governing body for the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

Postl was the founding CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and is a professor and dean emeritus at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. He also chairs the board of Canadian Blood Services and is a council member for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.

In a letter to Postl, Asagwara mandates the former health administrator and physician to work with the NDP government to:

• Shift the culture of health care
• Reduce “excessive health-care bureaucracy”
• Work with front-line providers to reduce wait times and improve patient experiences
• Support the government in adding 1,000 new staff to the system
• Increase the number of personal-care home beds and direct-care hours
• Effectively manage resources to reduce consistent overspending
• Publicly report on progress towards achieving the government’s goals

During the fall election campaign, Postl supported the NDP’s plans to reopen three emergency rooms in Winnipeg that were shuttered by the PCs as part of consolidation efforts.

Other new board appointees: Roustam Souleymanov, Stacy Senkbeil, Lois Stewart-Archer and Melanie MacKinnon.

Continuing board members: Nicole Stefaniuk, Doris Young, Nathan Peto and Keren Taylor-Hughes.

Former directors who will not be returning: Laurie Campbell, Gail Carswell, Gordon Hrynyk, Celia Kaufman, Grant Wichenko and David Oakley.

According to the province, the board is accountable to the health minister and responsible for the mandate, resources and performance of the organization.

It must ensure Shared Health complies with applicable legislation, regulations and provincial policies.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca