Marion Bridge resident new NSHA board chair
Frank van Schaayk hopes to work with board members to make body more transparent
A Marion Bridge resident is the next chair of the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s board of directors and he will be charged with working with his fellow board members to determine how to make the body more transparent.
But, having not even stepped into the role yet, Frank van Schaayk says it’s too soon to speculate how that effort may play out.
“Health care is so important to all of us and I think the work that was done to amalgamate the nine local health authorities into four regions and the NSHA along with the IWK, a lot of good work was done and it’s clear that there’s still a lot to do,” he said in a phone interview. “A lot of it has to do with taking what is a pretty clear strategy and helping to create the plans to execute well, to deliver health outcomes, to deliver results and keep quality and safety at the top of the list in terms of how that is done.”
Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey made the announcement in a news release Tuesday. The outgoing chair completes his term March 31.
Van Schaayk is the former regional president of the Americas for McCain Foods Ltd. and former president and chief operating officer of Ben’s Bakery , having retired in 2014. He is now a resident of Marion Bridge. A native of Amherst, his wife is from Dominion and they have had a summer home in the area for 15 years.
“I never really lost touch with the province at all,” van Schaayk said. “That’s what’s appealing to me, when you retire coming back to your native province and being able to get involved in things and put to work some of the skills you learned in the workforce.”
Van Schaayk noted that over the course of his career he lived in Europe, the United States and Canada, and was a consumer of the very different health-care systems in all of those jurisdictions.
“I’ve been a consumer and a watcher of health care for some time and it’s something I’m interested in and something I’m passionate about and something that I hope I can contribute to in Nova Scotia’s particular evolution,” he said.
All of those regions faced their own unique challenges in health care, van Schaayk said.
“Nova Scotia is no different and I think accolades should be given for tackling them and trying to move these forward, despite the fact there’s still a lot to do,” he said. “Nova Scotia is at an important point in its health-care evolution, so is the United States, so are countries in Europe.”
In the news release, Delorey said Nova Scotians have indicated they want more transparency from the health authority and he has asked van Schaayk to work with board members to determine how to make board information more accessible.
“I think it’s positive that the minister has publicly recognized that and it will be at the top of my list. It would have been at the top of the list had he not recognized it because I’ve heard it loud and clear in the public debates,” he said.
Van Schaayk has also been involved in the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation, which he said does great work.
“Mr. van Schaayk has established himself as an impressive leader throughout his career,” Delorey said in the release. “He has demonstrated his commitment to Nova Scotia’s healthcare system since returning home to the province through his service on the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation.”
The new appointments include for the first time a practising physician, Dr. Cynthia Forbes, a family doctor from Halifax who will be a nonvoting member. Other new members include Dr. Louise Cloutier of Wolfville, Patricia Hansen-Ketchum of Maryvale, Antigonish Co., and David Graham of Dartmouth. Members who have accepted a second term are George Unsworth of Sydney, Vicki Harnish of Hubbards, Marie McCully Collier of Truro and Jaime Smith of New Glasgow.
The outgoing members of the board include chair Steven Parker, David Dow, AnnaMarie Stuart and John Young. Parker led the board of directors through the transition of nine health authorities into one provincial health authority in 2015.
The board of directors is a volunteer board that holds half of its meetings in the four health zones. The annual general meeting is open to the public.