Livingstone will lead new provincial authority
New boss Livingstone aims to facilitate smooth transition to one governing body
Saskatchewan’s new single health authority named Scott Livingstone as its chief executive on Wednesday.
He will oversee the Saskatchewan Health Authority, which is being created to replace the province’s 12 regional health authorities that are in operation now.
Health Minister Jim Reiter said Livingstone, who most recently served as CEO for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, has “an extensive background in health-care administration.”
He added that heading up an “operation that doesn’t exist yet” will be a challenge for Livingstone, and that one of the first tasks will be putting together a senior management team.
“There are going to be some bumps along the way, but I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far,” said Reiter.
Livingstone’s appointment came after the Saskatchewan Health Authority board recommended him to Reiter and the provincial cabinet.
Dick Carter is the chair of the Saskatchewan Health Authority board. He said two of Livingstone’s assets are his clinical background as a pharmacist and his understanding of the province’s health system.
Carter said the goal is to ensure “the patient will know no difference” when the transition from regional health authorities to the single one takes place, a process that starts this fall.
Livingstone said he wanted the job because it was an opportunity to recreate the Saskatchewan health system “from the ground up” and harness the passion of health-care workers in the province.
“The real work happens in transformation after the organization is created, and I think we need to do that sooner rather than later to make sure folks in the system understand that there is direction coming, because there is anxiety in the system with people not knowing,” he said.
The province also announced Wednesday a replacement for Don Rae on the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s board. Rae resigned from his position on the board shortly after being named to it after controversial social media posts came to light.
Dr. Preston Smith, who is the dean of medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, will replace Rae.