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Stacey Daub celebrates 1st anniversary at HHCC

February 27, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

Having recently celebrated her first anniversary in the community, Stacey Daub believes she has finally found a home here in the Headwaters region.

It has been a busy 12 months for the CAO and President of Headwaters Health Care Centre (HHCC). As well as overseeing important projects such as the construction and subsequent opening of the new ambulatory care unit, and the ongoing renovations to create a third operating room, Ms. Daub has been working hard to put what she described as “necessary” steps in place to  improve and streamline services at the hospital.

Having met with approximately 250 different municipal representatives, service clubs and business leaders over the past year, Ms. Daub spoke about the uniqueness of the community when sitting down with the Citizen earlier this month.

“This was an amazing opportunity for me, from both a professional and personal standpoint. I knew that right away last year when I first took the job,” she said. “I was looking for a place that aligned with my values and a place I could make a difference personally. There’s been a really great match here between myself, the hospital and the community.”

She added, “After meeting with various people over the last year, I can see now how important this hospital is to the community. This is a community that is very invested in its hospital in a way that is a little bit different from other communities. There’s a really special connection here.”

Having spent more than a decade working in the industry in Toronto, she says the move to the Headwaters region has been like a breath of fresh air, both figuratively and literally, as she seeks to build on the “fantastic” structure in place at HHCC. Recent moves to pilot a new ‘Fast Track’ system in the emergency department, as well as introducing the Ontario Breast Screening Program to the facility, have been welcomed by the community.

And while her leadership has definitely helped in bringing some of these improvements to the hospital over the past year, she is the first to admit she has not done it alone. In adding to the hospital’s new leadership team, Ms. Daub drafted in Peter Varga as Vice-President of Patient Care & Chief Nursing Executive and Monique Porlier as Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President of Corporate Services.

“It’s definitely been a goal of mine to bring some new people into the organization who can help support the fantastic people we already have in place to make us stronger over time,” Ms. Daub said. “I’m proud of the team we have in place right now and I’m really excited about moving forward and seeing what the future brings.”

And, from this reporter’s perspective, the future is going to be bright at HHCC. Buoyed by the support of the Headwaters Health Care Foundation, which recently made a $2 million capital commitment to the hospital, Ms. Daub is excited to announce the facility will finally be in a position to replace all of its beds. Currently, the hospital has 81 beds in-house, up from the 73 it had budgeted for at the beginning of 2017. Last October, the provincial government revealed it had made funds available to HHCC to add eight additional beds to help with wait times during the flu season.

Erin Burcham, Public Relations and Communications Manager with the hospital, told the Citizen the hospital hopes to make those beds a permanent addition moving forward. Ms. Daub noted the hospital was also hoping to purchase some custom-made travel bassinettes in 2018.

In an attempt to maintain current service levels at the hospital, Ms. Daub has called on the provincial government to increase its investment at HHCC. She estimates the facility needs an additional $3 million annually to keep things running as they should.

“I’m really hopeful that we see a funding adjustment. We have been using one-time funds to operate the hospital for a while now. This isn’t about growth, this is about continuing with our existing services,” Ms. Daub said.

Looking to the future, she revealed the hospital is in the process of launching a long-term strategic plan, which is expected to touch on improved services to mental health and cancer-related surgical procedures. According to Ms. Daub, representatives from Trillium Health Partners, a regional partner for HHCC in cancer services, have said the local facility could double its capacity in terms of surgical interventions and supports and still wouldn’t come close to meeting demands in the region.

“There is a lot for us to focus on here moving forward. When I came in, my plan was to get us focused back on the community and focused on the hospital and accelerating our impact locally. I think we’ve been pretty successful with that so far,” Ms. Daub said. “There’s lots of opportunity for us to build on the services we offer, some we’re already exploring, and really bring people closer to home to get the care and support they need and deserve. That’s the most important thing for us now and for the future.”

For more information on HHCC, visit www.headwatershealth.ca.

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