Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre is pleased to welcome Gail Hunt as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.
Hunt, an experienced, high-performing hospital executive and team-builder, assumed the position at RVH July 4th. She succeeds Janice Skot who recently retired after 18 years at the helm.
Hunt is no stranger to RVH or the region. As President and CEO of Midland’s Georgian Bay General Hospital for the past five years, she worked closely with RVH, developing numerous partnerships and joint initiatives.
“There were many factors that drew me to RVH: its reputation for excellence; patient focus; commitment to safety; strongly rooted values and forward-thinking culture,” says Hunt. “It is incredibly inspiring and a tremendous privilege to join such a world-class organization that is poised to expand so significantly.”
Hunt is an approachable, collaborative leader who is passionate about building strong partnerships and high-performing teams. She brings to RVH over 20 years’ experience as a healthcare CEO and has earned a reputation for achieving results and inspiring others.
Prior to her posting at GBGH, Hunt, who holds Masters in Business Administration and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Laurentian University, spent 16 years as the CEO of Chapleau Health Services in Northern Ontario, a provider which managed all aspects of healthcare delivery, including primary, acute and long-term care.
“While in Northern Ontario, I learned how important collaboration and integration is as a way to improve access to care and optimize expertise and resources,” says Hunt. “I am committed to working with RVH’s partners, whether they are in healthcare, education, community, business or government, to find new ways to work together to address pent-up demand for hospital services, health human resource challenges and fiscal pressures.”
Hunt says the well-being of RVH’s employees and credentialed staff is also one of her highest priorities.
“The pandemic has taken its toll on healthcare workers as they struggled to balance the heavy load of caring for their patients and their families,” she says. “I know the community is grateful for TEAM RVH’s commitment, compassion and perseverance and, as we emerge from the pandemic, we need to ensure supports are in place to help our staff and physicians reacquaint, recharge and renew. We also look forward to the day we can safely welcome our beloved ‘Blue Brigade’ volunteers back to the health centre.”
Hunt was the unanimous choice of the CEO search committee and RVH Board Chair Doug Frost says, “Having worked in the region, Gail is very familiar with RVH, as well as the healthcare needs, challenges and partners in Simcoe Muskoka. She is committed to high quality, safe, patient-centred care and will advocate for the resources RVH needs to expand and meet the needs of our growing region.”
RVH recently received a $2.5 million provincial grant to accelerate its expansion plans and Hunt says she’s “anxious to work with government, our community and donors to secure formal approval and the funding needed to build the South Campus in Innisfil and double the size of the current North Campus. The entire region counts on RVH for its specialized services, advanced technology and skilled experts. What an exciting time to join this dynamic, growing organization.”
