Less than two weeks after the Minden emergency department permanently closed, Haliburton Highlands Health Services president and CEO Carolyn Plummer has gone on a medical leave of absence.
Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) announced on Monday (June 12) that, effective immediately, Veronica Nelson will be acting president and CEO during Plummer’s medical leave.
Nelson is being seconded from her position as vice president and CEO at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay.
“The HHHS board of directors would like to thank CEO Plummer for her hard work and dedication, particularly during the past few months, and we recognize the importance of looking after her health,” says HHHS chair David O’Brien in a media release. “We wish her all the best as she addresses her medical issues.”
While no details have been released about Plummer’s personal health issues, the announcement of her medical leave comes less than two weeks after the Minden emergency department was permanently closed on June 1.
Plummer and O’Brien had announced the closure on April 20, which was followed by six weeks of intense opposition from local residents and politicians, with Plummer and O’Brien attending several municipal and county council meetings to explain the rationale for the closure, which they said was made because of ongoing staffing shortages. After Plummer and O’Brien presented a plan to consolidate the Minden and Haliburton emergency departments to Haliburton County council on May 26, Minden Hills Township mayor Bob Carter called on the board to resign.
HHHS acting president and CEO Veronica Nelson will be responsible for all aspects of the role during Plummer’s absence, according to a media release, and will work closely with
the HHS board and leadership team on the continued delivery of all services at HHHS.
Nelson, who worked at HHHS as a medical radiation technologist earlier in her career, has more than 30 years of health care and has been on Ross Memorial Hospital’s executive leadership team since 2015, including serving as interim president and CEO from March 2019 to April 2020.
Currently co-leading the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team, Nelson has been overseeing the diagnostic imaging and laboratory departments at both HHHS and Ross Memorial Hospital and will continue to do so during her role as HHHS acting president and CEO.
“Ross Memorial Hospital and Haliburton Highlands Health Services are both organizations that mean a great deal to me,” Nelson says. “I am excited to bring my skill set and experience to working with the HHHS board of directors and team members throughout the organization. I know how incredibly important HHHS and its services are to patients, residents, and the community.”
