Locals to serve on new health boards

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Three people from the Miramichi region will serve on the newly created regional health authority boards and another will serve on the health council.

Richard Breault of Neguac, Leo Burns of Miramichi, and Cathy Carnahan of Chelmsford were named to the board of RHA B by health minister Mike Murphy on Wednesday. RHA B, based in Miramichi, will be responsible for the areas formerly served by RHA 1 (South-East), RHA 2 (Saint John), RHA 3 (Fredericton) and RHA 7 (Miramichi).

Norma Sugden of Miramichi was named to the New Brunswick Health Council. Based in Moncton, the health council has a dual mandate to provide residents with opportunities for meaningful input and dialogue on health matters, and to ensure that the health-care system is accountable to New Brunswickers.

FacilicorpNB is the official name of the new public sector company that will assume responsibility for the delivery and management of a variety of non-clinical services formerly carried out by the RHAs.

"On behalf of our government, I wish to thank each of these outstanding New Brunswickers for agreeing to serve on the boards of the RHAs, the health council and FacilicorpNB," said Murphy. "Each of the board members was recommended by a two-person blue chip committee from among applicants in response to an open recruitment campaign conducted earlier this year."

The four board chairs had been announced previously. They are: Aldéa Landry of Moncton, chair of RHA A; John Laidlaw of Rothesay, chair of RHA B; Rino Volpé of Saint-Jacques, chair of the health council; and Roxanne Fairweather of Saint John, chair of FacilicorpNB.

The other members of the board of RHA B are Rod Borden of Saint John, Karen Branscombe of Moncton, Dr. Natasha Campbell of Moncton, Harry Doyle of Lower Coverdale, Bryana Ganong of Canal, Mavis Hurley of Upper Kingsclear, Guy Léger of Quispamsis, Jean-Eudes Levesque of New Maryland, Jim Lutes of Rothesay, Bruce McCubbin of Saint John, Barbara M. Quigley of Moncton, Wayne Roach of Aroostook and Roxanne Sappier of Tobique First Nation.

RHA A, based in Bathurst, will be responsible for providing services in the areas formerly served by RHA 1 (Beauséjour), RHA 4 (Edmundston), RHA 5 (Campbellton) and RHA 6 (Bathurst).

The other members of the board of RHA A are Dr. Odette Albert of Ammon, Sandra Bossé of Saint-Quentin, Carmel Brun of Shediac, Adélard Cormier of Saint-Paul-de-Kent, Philippe DesRosiers of Grand Barachois, Tanya Irvine of Campbellton, Ghislaine S. Landry of Caraquet, Jocelyne Landry of Charlo, Rhéal LeBlanc of Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, Shawn Patterson of Bathurst, Lyne Raymond of Campbellton, Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau of Haut-Shippagan, Verne Savage of Grand Falls, Gloria Sock of Big Cove, Anne C. Soucie of Edmundston and Sister Gaëtane Soucy of Saint-Simon.

Members of the boards of RHA A and RHA B will serve for terms ranging from one to five years.

Members of the board of the health council will have a term of office ranging from one to three years. All take office effective Sept. 1

Other members of the health council are Pier Bouchard of Memramcook, Dr. Jeannot Castonguay of Edmundston, Christian Couturier of Fredericton, Gwen Cullins-Jones of Florenceville, Randy Dickinson of Fredericton, Linda Duffett-Leger of Fredericton, Nathalie Godbout of Saint John, Colleen Knudson of Saint John, Barbara Losier of Landry Office, Himanshu Mukherjee of Fredericton, Anne Marie Picone-Ford of Moncton, Daniel Savoie of Moncton, Claudia Simon of Elsipogtog First Nation, and Lucien Sonier of Caraquet.

FacilicorpNB, based in Saint John, will have board members from the private sector as well as members representing RHA A and RHA B. The private sector members of the board of directors of FacilicorpNB are Curtis Howe of Saint John, Al Lacey of Islandview, Gilles Lepage of Caraquet, Malcolm Little of Riverview, Gerald O'Brien of Kiersteadville, Suzanne Roussel of Moncton and Odette Snow of Moncton.

Remuneration for the four board chairs will be $30,000 per year plus $500 per meeting and meeting expenses. Other members of each of the boards will receive $500 per meeting plus meeting expenses.

All of the board members were selected from among applications in response to a recruitment campaign conducted in April and May. Advertisements were published in daily and weekly newspapers inviting applications from New Brunswick residents.

Applications were sought from those who could offer a combination of the skills and competencies essential to govern these organizations, such as a background in governance, accounting and finance, law, business management, labour relations and human resources, communications or public relations, and technology.

There were more than 100 applications for each of the RHA A and B boards and a similar number for the board of the health council. Those applications where also considered for FacilicorpNB.

Each of the applications was reviewed and screened by a leading human resources consulting firm, Robertson-Surrette. A panel comprised of Dr. Dennis Furlong, a former provincial minister of health, and Louis Comeau, a well-known Acadian businessman and former MP, then recommended nominees for the boards.

"Our government believes that transforming the health system to put the needs of patients first will best be achieved with the participation of New Brunswickers with the requisite skills and competencies to serve on these boards," said Murphy. "The process to recruit and nominate board members has resulted in the appointment of highly competent people who will be key partners in advancing patient-focused health care in our province."

For more information on RHA A and B, the health council and FacilicorpNB, visit the Department of Health website at www.gnb.ca/Health.