Annual General Meeting includes new Local Health Care Hero Award and recognition of Dr. George Blake
Ajax, ON – Lakeridge Health celebrated a year of transformational change at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) June 21, 2018 at Ajax Pickering Hospital. The AGM opened with a traditional smudging ceremony in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day, included key highlights of 2017/18 and looked ahead at new and exciting opportunities for 2018/19.
Highlights from 2017/18 included:
- The restoration and renovation of Port Perry Hospital, including patient-focused upgrades;
- The opening of the Mental Health Emergency Services Unit (MHESU) at Oshawa Hospital;
- The start of Lakeridge Health’s Master Program and Plan, a roadmap for how and where services will be delivered over the next 25 years in Durham Region.
The event featured remarks from Shireen Spencer, a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Committee, and highlighted Mary Lockie, who shared her experiences and reflection of care via video.
Members elected Dr. Judeline Innocent of Newcastle to her first three-year term on the Lakeridge Health Board of Trustees and elected Stindar Lal of Courtice to a second three-year term. The organization also paid tribute to three outgoing members who have collectively volunteered 27 years of service to Lakeridge Health: Thorsten Koseck, Donna Kingelin and Valentine Lovekin.
“We are pleased to celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of 2017/18,” said Valentine Lovekin, Past Chair of the Lakeridge Health Board of Trustees. “Over the last year, we embraced and celebrated Lakeridge Health’s role as the regional acute care provider for Durham Region and strengthened our commitment to improving access to patient care services across the network.”
“It is an exciting time at Lakeridge Health,” said President and CEO Matthew Anderson. “I thank the many people in the community who have helped us achieve success in 2017/18. The unwavering commitment of patients, families, health care teams, the Board, the Foundations, Auxiliaries, volunteers and community partners continues to enable us to deliver safe, high-quality care to the people of Durham Region.”
Anderson and Chief of Staff Dr. Tony Stone provided a preview of the organization’s priorities for 2018/19, which include engaging patients and teams, clinical quality improvement and continued transformation.
“In order to continue to grow and evolve into our role as a regional acute care provider for Durham Region, we need to further partner and co-design programs with patients and families while ensuring care team members are heard, supported and valued,” said Dr. Stone.
Dr. George Blake Memorial
To commemorate service and dedication to improving the health of the community, Lakeridge Health announced a special memorial for the late Dr. George Blake, founder of the Pinewood Centre. Sadly, Dr. Blake passed away in January 2018. Opened in 1967, the Pinewood Centre is part of the Lakeridge Health system and supports adults, youth and women living with mental health illness and addictions.
Today, Dr. Blake’s efforts and advocacy have spread to include more than 13 community locations from Scarborough and across Durham Region offering a range of programs to support people of all ages and backgrounds. A mentorship program will be established to recognize Dr. Blake’s strong support of education and his wish to inspire future generations.
“Our family is delighted,” said Yashin Blake, son of the late Dr. George Blake. “This special memorial and mentorship award will not only inspire others, but also will help to empower young community leaders pursuing careers in medicine and health sciences. This is a proud moment for our family.”
“In his lifetime, Dr. Blake was a tireless advocate for those living with mental illness and addictions,” said Sharon Cochran, Board Chair, Lakeridge Health. “We are privileged to honour his commitment and dedication and know his work has impacted the lives of so many people. This memorial and mentorship award reflects his strong support for education and we believe Dr. Blake’s legacy will live on through the next generation of emerging community leaders.”
Local Health Care Hero Award
Lakeridge Health named the recipient of its first Local Health Care Hero Award. Recognizing his dedication, compassion and commitment to supporting the health care needs of the community, the organization named Dr. Romas Stas as the inaugural winner of this prestigious award.
A distinguished and long-serving physician at Ajax Pickering Hospital, Dr. Stas is an active advocate for health care within the Ajax and Pickering communities. He recently celebrated 46 years of practice at Ajax Pickering Hospital.
“I am honoured and thankful to receive this award,” said Dr. Romas Stas. “We have a golden opportunity to develop an integrated health care system across all of Durham that will be the envy of the province and perhaps the world, where all hospitals in Lakeridge Health will have an integral role to play – where every resident will be able to receive all their health services right here in their own community.”
“It is our pleasure to present our first Local Health Hero Award to Dr. Romas Stas,” said Susan deRyk, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer and Site Executive at Ajax Pickering Hospital. His leadership, dedication and tremendous generosity have improved the lives of so many in our community and beyond. We are proud to have health care heroes among us who inspire others through their daily actions.”
To find out more information, please visit the Lakeridge Health website to access the annual report and to see interactive highlights including videos and photos from the AGM. To learn more about Lakeridge Health, visit us on social media on Twitter or Facebook.
About Lakeridge Health
Lakeridge Health is Durham Region’s acute health care provider. With five hospitals, four emergency departments, a residential treatment centre and more than a dozen community locations, the new Lakeridge Health is working to provide the best experience for patients and their families. Home to the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre and Pinewood Centre, Lakeridge Health also provides regional mental health, eye care and nephrology services.
With a committed and dedicated team of more than 5,400 employees, more than 760 physicians and more than 1,600 volunteers, Lakeridge Health provides care to the more than 650,000 people living and working in Durham Region.
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