Outgoing chair Altaf Stationwala recently spoke with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) about his service on the board. Altaf is the President and CEO of Mackenzie Health and was elected to the OHA board of directors in 2013 and appointed board chair in 2018. During his tenure as chair, the OHA implemented a three-year transformational strategic plan which modernized every aspect of the OHA's work, with a focus on service to members, system leadership, and flexibility to respond to the changing health care environment and the changing needs of hospitals.
As you reflect on your service as Chair of the OHA Board of Directors, what are the areas you think the OHA has made the most progress in over the past few years? What accomplishments are you most proud of?
As a member-based organization, alignment with our members' needs is the ultimate measure of success. I am very proud of the fact that over the last number of years, our member satisfaction scores have been consistently well over 90% and this is a reflection of what the OHA has been doing both internally and externally.
As an association, we have been through a pretty fundamental transformation in terms of how we associate with many of our related entities. For example, the OHA's recent integration with the Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) meant aligning the research and academic mandate of CAHO with the OHA in a very collaborative way. Deeply embedding these new mandates in the OHA will benefit all hospitals. In addition, the efforts made to further the alignment between the OHA and The Change Foundation are very important as they support the advancement of the association's education and learning portfolio.
Over the past few months and years, we saw a transition to a new government where building new relationships was really important. We had a very successful transition with this government, in that we gained their confidence and support and positioned ourselves well to advocate on behalf of the system. In addition, the OHA's ability to embrace the agenda of integrated care was well received by members and the government and allowed the OHA to support hospitals in leading the integration initiative.
How has the hospital sector evolved over this time? What do you think the OHA still needs to do to evolve with it?
The OHA has always been a strong advocate for all sectors within the health care system. We all know that that hospitals are part of a much larger system.
The evolution of the sector is not dramatically different from the path we have been on. The OHA and the membership will have to continue to press forward in creating a truly integrated health care system that addresses the gaps to allow for smoother transitions in care.
We know how scarce health care dollars are and we need to offer a better value proposition to Ontarians. We know that the entire system can do better. I am very proud of the fact that the OHA's focus is always on the greater good of the system and we balance our hospital advocacy efforts with the needs of the system as a whole. The OHA has a strong voice, an important voice, and it is essential that we continue to use our voice to reflect the needs of the broader system.
They say never waste a crisis. We've been clear that even as we manage the day to day challenges of the pandemic, that there are cracks in our health care system we can no longer ignore. What to you are the most important things to address going forward?
What was very relevant and visible to me was how we as a broader health care system all responded collectively to this crisis. All the historical views of turf and positioning and roles and mandates went away, and we came together as a system. But as we came together, the fact that there are cracks in the system became very apparent. I am hopeful that this crisis brings to the attention our membership, to other sectors and more importantly government, that there are absolute structural flaws in our system, and this is the time to address them.
For the residents of this amazing province, we really need to do what is necessary to ensure that care is seamless, and transitions are smooth across the health care system. And in the event of another crisis, let's work to ensure that we respond not as individual sectors, but as a system. That is the real opportunity for us - to work together and ensure that generations to come will be proud of what we have accomplished as a result of this pandemic.
Do any particular memories stand out from your time collaborating with fellow board members or OHA staff?
The pandemic stands out to me, as we called a number of special board meetings to provide guidance and ensure we were reflecting the views of the membership. I am very proud of all the board for their resolve and unwavering commitment to do what's needed for the system and to take bold steps to address critical issues.
We are very fortunate to have a great balance of system leaders, strong trustees and strong CEOs around the board table who I think have done a great service to the association and the broader health care system. This crisis brought a great deal of uncertainty and there was a lot of emotion around the table. You could feel the stress and tension people had from what they were observing from around the world, but we put our fears and anxieties aside and stepped up as leaders to help the members and the system. I am very proud of that.
Do you have any words of wisdom to share with the new incoming Chair and the board?
I can't think of a better chair than Sarah Downey to take the OHA forward. We are coming to the point of developing a new strategic direction for the OHA that must be grounded in what we experienced during the pandemic as well as the integrated care agenda. Sarah is the champion of integrated care.
When I look at Michael Garron Hospital and what they have done in their community as a local hospital, it is apparent that they are much more than a hospital in a traditional sense. They are truly a hub of care delivery doing many things beyond what would be typically defined as the work of an acute care hospital. Sarah has that grounded vision and that context to help drive integrated care. We will be very well served with Sarah at the helm and I look forward to her leadership as she takes us to the next level.
The OHA's strategic plan had a strong modernization agenda. As we extend our strategy for a year to contemplate what's coming next and where we are going, what should the board and OHA keep top of mind?
As a province, we are in a place where we have spent huge amounts of public dollars to fight the pandemic. We know we have to drive greater value for money in the health care system and we know there are opportunities - whether it's redundancies, duplication or barriers that don't allow for smooth transitions. Addressing this requires a great degree of transparency with the public along with honesty about the challenges we face.
I think of my children and my duty to them to ensure we have a sustainable system. The way we are positioned today is not sustainable. We need to make bold change. The word transformation is used a lot but another word that comes to mind is courage -- courage to do the things we sometimes shy away from because it may create angst and disappointment. We must move forward.
I look at the future of our children and grandchildren and know that while we must ensure we stay true to the tenets of a publicly-funded health care system, that we all believe as Canadians, it must be affordable, accessible and provide better value.
Any other parting thoughts you'd like to share?
More than anything else it has been a privilege to be part of the OHA board for the past seven years.
When I think about my own career, with 10 years as a CEO, I would say that my work with the OHA has shaped me as a leader, has made me a better CEO. It's given me a position and a unique opportunity to work with talented and experienced people, on the board and the OHA leadership and staff, and to be of service to the system. It has been a real honour and privilege to serve as board chair and I am thankful for it.
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Altaf is the President and CEO of Mackenzie Health and under his leadership, Mackenzie Health received Accreditation with Exemplary Standing consecutively in 2013 and 2017 – the highest rating a Canadian healthcare provider can achieve – and numerous awards for its commitment to safety and quality patient care, as well as the approval to build the organization's second hospital – Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital slated to open in early 2021.
Prior to joining Mackenzie Health, Altaf held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Mount Sinai Hospital, and previous to that he was Site Executive - Brampton Civic Hospital and Vice President, Patient Services at the William Osler Health Centre.
Altaf was also presented with the Canadian College of Health Service Executives Canada's Outstanding Young Health Executive of the Year Award in 2007 for his demonstrated leadership in improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the country's health system.