Joanne Flewwelling was appointed as Interim President and CEO of Grey Bruce Health Services at a special meeting of the GBHS Board of Directors yesterday, replacing Maureen Solecki whose contract ends on August 2.

Board Chair Brenda Kearney says, “We are deeply grateful to Maureen for stepping out of retirement and assisting us for the past 6 months. She has been welcomed back to GBHS with open arms and has provided excellent guidance and a stabilizing impact on the organization throughout. Her leadership style and long history with the organization have enable her to tackle some challenging issues over her time with us and we are in her debt. Maureen was clear at the outset that there was an end date to her commitment to us. We respect that and we completely understand her desire to return to retirement.”

The Board of Directors has been engaged in the selection process for its new CEO for several months now. While the selection process is well underway, no decision on a candidate has been made. GBHS Search Committee Chair Ron Goldsmith says, “It is very important that we find a new leader who is the right fit for GBHS. The Board was clear at the outset that we have the best available leader to take us forward and would take the necessary time to find that individual.”

Flewwelling is a retired healthcare executive with 25 years of leadership experience. She was the Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at William Osler Health System a $700M community hospital in Brampton for several years and served as its Interim President and CEO prior to her retirement in 2018. On her retirement, Joanne moved to Meaford with her husband to be closer to family.

Flewwelling says, “I am happy to step in and assist GBHS on an interim basis while the search for the new CEO continues. My family have required care in the GBHS hospital group since our move here and I have been very impressed with the quality and dedication of the staff at GBHS. This is a very exciting time for the health care system and I am happy to play a leadership role, working with our staff and physicians as well as our external partners to continue the delivery of quality care to our community.”

“On behalf of the Board of Directors I am delighted that Joanne has agreed to step into this role. Joanne’s background and experience will be a tremendous asset to GBHS during this transition,” says Kearney.

source: media release