After more than 30 years as a dynamic, well-respected healthcare leader, Janice Skot, President and CEO of Barrie’s
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), has announced her long-planned retirement for June 2022.
“It has been such a privilege to be RVH’s President and CEO for the past seventeen years. Working alongside a visionary Board of Directors, exceptional senior team and leaders, skilled physicians, compassionate volunteers and a supportive community, we grew RVH into a formidable regional health centre,” says Skot. “I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished together. We introduced a variety of specialized services such as cancer, cardiac and child and youth mental health, not previously available to residents throughout our region. Equally important, with the leadership and support of our professional staff, we introduced and grew our academic and research mandates – again, an outstanding achievement for a regional health centre.”
Ms. Skot joined RVH in September 2004 and has led the health centre with remarkable vision and an unwavering focus on safety. Under her steadfast leadership, RVH experienced unprecedented growth and achievements:
- Opened Canada’s first temporary radiation suite in 2008
- Introduced the Family Medicine Teaching Unit in 2009, an official teaching site of the University of Toronto
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, and opened RVH’s Centre for Education and Research in 2018
- Secured a $52.5 million investment from the City of Barrie for RVH’s expansion, at the time, a record contribution from a municipality
- Opened a $450 million expansion in 2012 that doubled the size of the health centre, including the regional cancer centre
- Championed innovation and brought new technology to RVH, including a robotic chemotherapy arm, automated lab, interventional radiology and a hybrid OR suite
- Restructured the Board of Directors and introduced new bylaws earning RVH a national award for good governance
- Led RVH through five Accreditation Canada surveys, receiving Exemplary Standing, the highest possible ranking
- Launched RVH’s regional advanced cardiac and child and youth mental health programs, and achieved designation as a regional renal hub
- Achieved 11 consecutive balanced budgets
- Transitioned to a new health information system with three other hospital partners
- Following a three-year, transparent and consultative process, announced the location of RVH’s future South Campus in Innisfil, part of RVH’s “one system; two site” graduated model for the future
- Led RVH through the COVID-19 pandemic, including construction of a regional Pandemic Response Unit field hospital
“Janice has skillfully maneuvered our rapidly-changing healthcare landscape, ensured financial sustainability and has established a remarkable record of accomplishments that has solidified RVH’s reputation as a healthcare leader and well positioned us for a very bright future,” says Charlotte Wallis, chair, RVH Board of Directors.
Beyond the bricks and mortar of expansion, Skot says she’s most proud of the culture built at RVH during her tenure. In 2009 she introduced a comprehensive quality, patient experience, leadership excellence strategy that resulted in significant improvements to safety, patient and TEAM RVH engagement scores. RVH’s strategy was so noteworthy, it was recognized by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada for leadership excellence.
“As I reflect on my time at RVH, the decade-long focus on improving and aligning our organizational culture, and the resulting positive impact on the patient and family experience, was the most challenging, yet rewarding, achievement of my career,” Skot says. “I know that focus on patients is the compass that guides TEAM RVH every day.”
In 2013 Skot spearheaded the development of RVH’s MY CARE strategic plan and has worked tirelessly to foster a culture of safety, accountability, caring and respect. She has remained laser-focused on “the patients entrusted to our care” and established a Patient and Family Advisory Council to ensure their voices were a part of decision-making.
“Under Janice’s leadership, RVH more than doubled in size and workforce, yet whenever we walk through the health centre, she stops many times to speak with staff, physicians and volunteers. She makes a point of remembering their names and details about their families and hobbies. That personal connection with TEAM RVH is very important to Janice and speaks to the culture she has worked so hard to create,” notes Wallis.
Outside RVH, Skot previously served as long-time chair of the Simcoe County Hospital Alliance and is a board member of Plexxus, and chair of the shared service organization’s governance committee, vice chair of the board of the Hospital Diagnostic Imaging Repository Services (HDIRS), and sits on numerous provincial healthcare and community committees.
Ms. Skot came to RVH from Sudbury where she held a number of senior positions, including, president and CEO of, then, Laurentian Hospital, as well as the CEO of the Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre. In the early days of her distinguished career, she was a front-line nurse in varied locations, including a desert hospital in Saudi Arabia, as well as an outpost hospital in a northern Ontario Indigenous community.
The Board of Directors CEO Search Committee has engaged Boyden, a leading executive recruitment firm, to initiate a national search for a new RVH president and CEO.
“This is a key time for RVH as we seek approvals for our capital plan, including the North and South Campus,” says Wallis.
“Janice has laid a strong foundation and we will search for a dynamic, visionary individual to build on that success as RVH continues to grow to meet our region’s healthcare needs.”
For more Information:
Kimberly Wright
Representative, RVH Corporate Communications
705-728-9090 ext. 41617