Q and A with Jean Armitage

The Niagara Health System Board of Trustees is made up of volunteers who live and work in Niagara. Each Board member brings unique skills and expertise to this leadership role. The Board is responsible for governing the NHS and providing strategic direction to the Hospital to ensure it meets the health-care needs of the community within the resources that are available.

Niagara Health Now is publishing a series of question-and-answer profiles on individual members of the Board to help our readers get better acquainted with them. This week’s profile is of Board Member Jean Armitage.

Where were you born?
I was born in Sudbury, Ontario, the “Nickel Capital of the World.”

Number of years living in Niagara:
I came to St. Catharines in January 1988 to work at the then Hotel Dieu Hospital in the new position of Assistant Director of Patient Services which included, at that time, Nursing, Diagnostic Imaging and Laboratory Services. By the time I retired in 2000, I was responsible for over 40 departments and all of the regional programs.

Occupation:
I am a Registered Nurse. For most of my career, I have held leadership and management positions working at all levels of responsibility. I have enjoyed and been challenged by all of my jobs but the two that people find most intriguing are the summer I worked as an outpost nurse in the Northwest Territories in isolated Inuit and Native communities and my stint as a screening nurse at the airport in Toronto during the SARS outbreak. I currently work for Laurentian University teaching online courses for Registered Nurses enrolled in the Post RN Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. There are NHS nurses in the program as well as graduates at all levels from staff nurse to vice president.

What are the greatest rewards from your job?
Teaching online courses for Laurentian University allows me to help nurses who have difficulty attending classes due to job and family commitments or unavailability of facilities in their community. Over the years, being able to improve patient care and support staff to provide quality, innovative services has been the greatest reward of my professional life.

What influenced you to become a member of the NHS Board of Trustees?
I applied for a Board position because I wanted the new St. Catharines hospital to be built. Since becoming a member, I have broadened my mandate to include improving healthcare for the people of Niagara through the integration of services. I have worked in a number of community and teaching hospitals and have surveyed many small rural and northern hospitals for accreditation so I have an appreciation for the benefits of an integrated health system and the struggles to achieve it.

How many years have you served on the NHS Board?
I will be starting my third year this fall.

What is your greatest achievement or reward as a member of the Board?
Being part of a Board comprised of dedicated, informed, members who work collaboratively to address the many issues they face; serving as a member of the Board’s Quality Committee which works to ensure that we meet or exceed national standards for care and service; and having the opportunity to work with knowledgeable, committed staff are my rewards.

What is the greatest opportunity for the NHS?
To integrate services so that the people of Niagara have access to quality, cost effective, patient-centred healthcare including qualified dedicated staff and physicians and the latest in diagnostic, treatment and management technology is our greatest opportunity at this time.

What is its greatest challenge?
Change is difficult and funding is limited, but I believe the NHS can in time overcome these challenges and achieve its vision.

Other involvement as a member of a volunteer Board, past or present?
I have served on a number of Boards in Niagara including Child Advocacy Centre Niagara, Hospice Niagara, VON Niagara, Contact Niagara, Niagara Ina Grafton Gage Village and the Rotary Club of St. Catharines Sunrise.

How would you describe yourself to someone who doesn’t know you?
I am not good at describing myself – I let my actions and convictions speak for me.

What is your greatest personal achievement?
My greatest achievement is that, after over 40 years of working in healthcare, I am still positive about our healthcare system and remain actively involved in helping to make the system even better.