There will be a new executive director at St. Joseph's Hospital on Oct. 1, and the name and face will be familiar to most residents in southeast Saskatchewan.
The board of St. Joseph's Hospital announced late Monday they have appointed Greg Hoffort as the person who will fill the post following the retirement of current executive director Normand Poirier.
Hoffort will be leaving his current position as administrator of the Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5 to commence his new duties in the health-care field.
"Greg is no stranger to the hospital or the board," said St. Joe's board chairman Don Kindopp.
Prior to joining the RM to undertake administrative duties there he had been director of Systems Lifeline and the administrative assistant at the hospital from 1990 to 1996. He also served as executive director of St. Joseph's Foundation from 1994 to 1996 and was the commissioning and equipment co-ordinator for the hospital during the building of the present facility from 1989 to 1990.
Hoffort leaves a job he has been doing for the past 16 years for the RM and said the council will immediately begin advertising for candidates to fill the position he is vacating. He said they will also be seeking a financial officer at about the same time which represents an evolving situation within the administrative staff at the RM.
"It's a sign of growth. The RM of Estevan has been evolving for some time, and with that comes a growing work load, so the changes that are coming from the RM council are good ones I believe," said Hoffort, adding that he will be working diligently to clear up some of the current files on his desk, so there can be a smooth transition for the new administrator.
"There are several irons in the fire right now. This year's flood has obviously dominated a lot of time. The provincial disaster program decisions have taken up our attention for the past three or four months of course, so I would like a lot of that work completed before I leave," he said.
Hoffort, 46, said he wasn't looking for a change, but he had come into the administrative fold through health care and it had been a goal to return to that field sometime in the future, and when he discovered the St. Joe's job was opening with Poirier's decision to retire, he felt the time was right and he applied.
Kindopp said there were nine serious applicants for the job and the trio of finalists for the job included Hoffort along with one other Saskatchewan resident and another from B.C.
"There are some well documented concerns in the health-care field, but I'm not nervous about it. St. Joe's is well managed and administered. Sure, there are challenges such as the doctor shortages, but that's a problem that can be solved," Hoffort said.
Kindopp said the job description for the executive director is changing only slightly to include a more defined role in physician recruitment/retention that hadn't been there before.
"It hadn't been a designated task for previous directors, but since there is an emphasis on it now, we've made it a part of the job," said Kindopp.
"We're also sensitive to the needs of the RM and the fact they'd like to keep Greg for awhile to help them with the transition and Normand has been very co-operative and flexible. He's told us he would be available to us for as long as it was felt we needed him during the transition period at the hospital," Kindopp added.
The hospital's board chairman said that physician shortages are "a little bump on the road we have to overcome right now and that's a priority (see related article in this week's edition) and once we get that sorted out, we'll turn our attention again to seeing that we get regional hospital status for St. Joe's and work at getting a CT scanner installed there. We're pleased to see the ultra-sound imaging service is back. The equipment is there and the training is underway," Kindopp said, pointing to the two major subjects that will keep the newly installed executive director engaged.
Hoffort already holds a diploma of associate in administration from the University of Regina and certificates in health administration in the areas of acute care, long-term care and community health from the University of Saskatchewan. He also possesses an employee relations certificate from the Saskatchewan Health Care Association as well as an industrial relations seminar certificate from Queen's University and a certificate in local government administration from the University of Regina and a master's certificate in municipal leadership from York University.
"We welcome him and look forward to working with him to provide the best health care for the residents of this part of Saskatchewan," said Kindopp.
"We're willing to work with all our health-care partners to overcome problems and we'll build on our relationship with the Sun Country Regional Health Authority," Kindopp said in conclusion.
Poirier said he will work with Hoffort, helping him with the transition of various files and bring him up to speed on various projects.
"Whatever it takes, we'll get it done as smoothly as possible," said Poirier who will be retiring to Morden, Manitoba with his wife Judy this fall.
"I can't say enough good things about Estevan. It's a remarkable city, a very involved community and I have enjoyed having a strong group of managers to work with here at St. Joe's. They are a good group to be with and I'll miss them when I go."
Poirier said he expected he would be able to step aside by the agreed on date of Oct. 1 but would be available for a longer period if required. That would conclude his four years at the executive director's desk.
