McVey takes helm of West Island health network
Montrealer Lynne McVey is the new head of the West Island’s Integrated University Health and Services Centre (CIUSSS).
She was appointed by Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette, who extolled McVey’s credentials as a leader in health and social services.
“Recognized for her client and human resource-centric approach, her interdisciplinary leadership, and her deep knowledge of the region’s unique issues, Ms. McVey will undoubtedly rise to the challenges of this important position,” Barrette stated.
McVey replaces Benoit Morin, the newly appointed president and CEO of Héma- Quebec.
McVey, who officially took the helm Monday, has an impressive resumé. Since 2015, she has served as president and deputy director general of CIUSSS. Other managerial experience include stints at the Jewish General Hospital and at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, where she served as executive director from 2012-2015.
“I want to say how honoured I am really to be named to this position,” said McVey, 58, who grew up in Montreal West. “I lived in Montreal many decades, and I’ve worked for many decades in the public health and social services system.”
She said one of her priorities is to create, cultivate and bring forward a culture of client-centred care.
McVey has spent the past few weeks listening to the concerns of CIUSSS staff and professionals.
“What I heard from our very passionate staff, physicians and professionals is that they need and would like to be listened to, and they would like for us to value that notion of excellence in clinical care and excellence in service to the population.
“It’s hard to put your finger on it in terminology, but it’s about taking care of our staff, taking care of doctors ... and professionals, so that they can offer the best possible care to patients, clients and families. That’s a major focus.”
McVey said another challenge will be trying to recruit more staff to West Island health centres.
She said there are employment opportunities for nurses, nursing assistants, orderlies and social workers.
McVey holds a bachelor’s degree in physiology and a master’s degree in nursing from McGill University. She also completed a fellowship in health administration at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
McVey also attended Collège Ste-Anne in Lachine. “I went to school in French. My mother (Lise) is a francophone; my mother’s side of the family is descendent of the Beaumont family.
Her father Vaughan McVey was a star football player at McGill in the 1950s, and later helped form the Friends of McGill Football alumni association in 1984. He was also inducted into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in the builder category in 2002.
“I’m proud of the family I came from,” said Lynne McVey. “My dad, over the years, was quite involved in Friends of McGill Football. For me, giving back to our community, giving back to society, giving back to the health and social services system comes very naturally.”
Her family name is well-known in Montreal, she noted.
“In Montreal, the English community, we’re about one degree of separation of knowing somebody that knows us,” she said.
The West Island CIUSSS network includes the Lakeshore General Hospital, the Lac- Saint-Louis and Pierrefonds CLSCs, the Centre d’hébergement Denis-Benjamin-Viger, Ste-Anne Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Batshaw Youth and Family Centre, the West Montreal Readaptation Centre and the Dorval-LachineLaSalle CSSS.