This is a busy time for the Bowen Island Health Centre Foundation as we work with the municipality to get final permitting to start construction on the health centre, and advance the serious work of building our operating organization and team.
We recently added key bench strength to our volunteer BIHCF board with three new members who bring an impressive mix of experience and skills to support our transition to full operation.
Sandra Guarascio is a partner at Roper Greyell LLP, where she practises in all areas of employment and labour law. She is a volunteer with Continuing Legal Education, serving as co-chair of the CLE Human Rights Conference. Sandra has lived on Bowen for four years and assisted several island organizations with legal advice on a pro bono basis.
Gordon Orlikow is a senior partner at Korn Ferry, a global human resources consulting firm. Outside of his professional life, Gordon is deeply immersed in sport and is currently active in the Canadian Olympic Committee and the World Athletics Federation. Resident on Bowen since 2010, he has been involved locally supporting the Municipal Council and staff and with the Bowen Community Foundation.
Greg Shepherd is CEO of Pharmasave (Western Canada) and a former board chair and past president of the BC Pharmacy Association. As a volunteer with International Health Service, he served on a multidisciplinary medical team that delivered health care to impoverished communities in Honduras. Greg is a newcomer to Bowen and looks forward to giving back to the community through his work with BIHCF.
Our board has also seen two departures. Sue McIntyre and Ken McArthur recently stepped down after providing invaluable guidance and leadership at the board and committee level for the past several years. Our foundation – and the community – owe a debt of thanks to Sue and Ken for their passionate commitment and contributions to our success. Ken is staying on as a member of the facilities committee where we will continue to benefit from his counsel.
As we look forward to starting construction on the health centre, we are in the final round of interviews to select a construction management firm. At the same time, there is much to be done creating what will happen inside. This includes recruiting our health care team and support staff, negotiating tenant agreements, formalizing funding and support relationships with health care authorities, expanding community partnerships, establishing the right policies and procedures for a collaborative team culture, setting an operating budget, and more.
To take the lead on these time-consuming and complex tasks, we are close to hiring our first full-time employee – an executive director. Their job for the next two years will be to ensure we have a strong team in place to hit the ground running when we open and a sustainable organization that will be here to serve the community for decades to come.
Following an excellent response from a number of interested applicants, we have narrowed the field down to several highly qualified candidates for the executive director position. We look forward to introducing this new point person for your health centre in the near future.
We aim to make Bowen’s health centre a model for community-based care, and we need your support to help make that happen. If you haven’t already, please visit bowenhealthcentre.com/donate-now/, make your donation, and help bring healthcare close to home for everyone on Bowen.
