City health authority CEO won’t seek provincial job
Florizone says it was a difficult decision but believes ‘this is not the time for me’
After almost three years at the helm of Saskatchewan’s largest health authority, Dan Florizone will not have the top job at the new provincial health authority when it begins operations in the fall.
Florizone, who was appointed CEO of the Saskatoon Health Region in 2015, told staff in an email last week that not applying for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) job was “one of the toughest decisions I have had to make.”
The 30-year health-care system veteran said in an interview Tuesday that while he is “very supportive” of health region amalgamation, he concluded that his talents are more suited to clinical transformation than building a new organization.
“Having been through this before, this is not the time for me,” he said. “I would much prefer to consider … an opportunity to be able to drive change to care — quality and safety are my passions, to be able to bring that right to the ground.”
Florizone said he does not have a preference for someone to lead the SHA, and that he looks forward to the board of directors’ decision on the matter.
The Saskatchewan Party government announced its plan to amalgamate the province’s 12 health regions late last year, a few months before introducing its unpopular 2017-18 austerity budget.
The SHA, which Florizone described as “the only way route forward” in Saskatchewan, will be based in Saskatoon, employ around 43,000 people and have an annual budget well in excess of $3 billion.
Health region amalgamation has been criticized by the Opposition NDP, which contends that any attempt to consolidate cashstrapped regions will be a shock to a system ill-equipped to handle it.
Florizone, who spent much of his time at SHR grappling with budget pressures he attributes to funding shortfalls and a growing population, said changing dynamics mean those issues will likely “persist in perpetuity.”
“We’re trying to catch up — we’re getting better at this, but it’s a huge undertaking. As a provincial authority, I think the possibilities now allow people to bring things to scale.”
He also defended the reorganization known as Lean which he said is being introduced across the continent despite controversy over expenses in Saskatchewan.
At the same time, lessons learned from other provinces that have moved to a single health authority model and the potential for savings should provide the SHA an opportunity to improve health care across the province, he said.
Earlier this month, the government appointed a 10-person board of directors to oversee the SHA. One of them, Don Rae, resigned a week later after the Saskatoon StarPhoenix uncovered offensive posts shared on his personal Facebook page.
Health Minister Jim Reiter told reporters last week that a replacement for Rae will be appointed soon.
Florizone said he plans to stay on as the head of SHR until it ceases to exist, and he wants to continue working in the province’s healthcare system — either now or at some time in the future.