New Chair Appointed for Providence Health Care
Vancouver, April 15, 2010 — On April 12, 2010, the Providence Health Care (PHC) Board of Directors announced the appointment of Geoff Plant as the new chair for PHC.
Plant is replacing Kip Woodward, who is leaving PHC to take on the role of chair of Vancouver Coastal Health, as announced by Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon earlier this week. The changes are effective immediately.
“I’m very much honoured and looking forward to the opportunity to serve Providence Health Care and the people of British Columbia,” said Plant. “We have an exceptional team of leaders, staff, physicians, researchers and volunteers and a strong record of innovation. I am confident that we will continue to work together to build on our unique brand of caregiving rooted in our 115-plus year history and guided by our shared mission and deeply held values as a faith-based care provider.”
“Geoff’s reputation as a man of conviction, credibility, fairness, good governance and passion for helping society’s most vulnerable is well known to Providence Health Care and to British Columbians,” said Dianne Doyle, PHC’s President & CEO. “He is ideally suited to lead the creative actions needed to improve patient and resident care while managing growing health-care costs.”
Prior to being appointed as Chair, Plant served as a member of the PHC board for a year. He is a partner in the Vancouver office of the national law firm Heenan Blaikie LLP. During his nine years as a member of the BC Legislative Assembly, he served as Attorney General of British Columbia and Minister responsible for Treaty Negotiations from 2001 to 2005. Since leaving politics Plant has undertaken a number of public policy projects. From May 2007 until February 2009 he was Vancouver's Civil City Commissioner, where he advanced several initiatives intended to improve support and services to marginalized populations in Vancouver. He also serves on the board of Covenant House Vancouver, the Kaiser Foundation and the Street-to-Home Foundation.
About Providence Health Care
Providence Health Care is one of Canada's largest faith-based health care organizations, operating 14 health care facilities in Greater Vancouver. Guided by the principle “How you want to be treated,” PHC's 1,200 physicians, 6,000 staff and 1,500 volunteers deliver compassionate care to patients and residents in British Columbia. Providence’s programs and services span the complete continuum of care and serve people throughout B.C. The organization’s $680-million budget covers 646 acute care beds, 700 continuing care beds, 76 rehabilitation beds, and 12 hospice beds. PHC operates one of two adult academic health science centres in the province, performs cutting-edge research in more than 30 clinical specialties, and focuses its services on six “populations of emphasis”: cardio-pulmonary risks and illnesses, HIV/AIDS, mental health, renal risks and illness, specialized needs in aging and urban health. For more information on Providence Health Care, please visit our website at http://www.providencehealthcare.org.
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Contact: Justin Karasick
Senior Public Affairs Officer - Providence
Lower Mainland Communications and Public Affairs
Tel 604.806.8460
Pgr 604.252.4261
jkarasick@providencehealth.bc.ca
