Margaret Melanson confirmed as permanent Horizon CEO
CBC
After two years as interim CEO, Margaret Melanson has been confirmed as the new permanent president and CEO of one of New Brunswick's two health authorities.
Melanson, appointed after Premier Blaine Higgs fired her predecessor, declined an interview request from CBC News after the announcement about what she's accomplished in the past two years and what she plans to do as Horizon addresses continuing health-care challenges in New Brunswick.
She took over the position at Horizon Health Network after Higgs fired Dr. John Dornan in 2022.
The premier fired Dornan and dropped his health minister after a man died while awaiting care in an emergency department's waiting room. The province was later ordered to pay out $2 million to Dornan for unjust dismissal.
A news release from Horizon said Melanson has worked to address health care challenges by focusing on four priorities: "access to services, patient flow, recruitment and retention, and patient experience." The release does not provide further information.
Melanson was also at the centre of controversy when leaked audio revealed that she asked an Ambulance New Brunswick dispatcher to break the service's own policy by transporting a patient from his home in Fredericton to the Saint John Regional Hospital. In the audio, she said, "This is a political issue," and that Premier Blaine Higgs was "upset."
The last time Melanson spoke to media, it was in response to complaints of filthy and overflowing ERs over the holidays and diverted ambulances.
In January, Melanson said the health authority was making progress in improving wait times at emergency departments, but there's much work yet to be done when it comes to people waiting in hospital for long-term care.
As of January there were a total of 542 people waiting in Horizon hospitals for nursing home or special care home beds, Melanson previously said, representing 33 per cent of Horizon's total inpatient beds.
Horizon's four regional hospitals have an average overall occupancy level of 106 per cent, she said at the time, while the national benchmark is 85 per cent.
It was just a few months ago that U.S. President Donald Trump told the world he doesn’t want Canadian cars.
Flu cases across Canada are on the rise and may push hospitals to their limits over the holidays and into the new year, leading health officials in regions across the country to warn people not to visit emergency rooms unless it's absolutely necessary.
More than 30 years after Canada's military allowed women to serve in combat roles, it's now specifically designing uniforms and body armour to fit their bodies.
The holiday season has arrived in Thunder Bay, and that means reduced hours, or closures, for businesses, city offices, and other amenities.
As Toronto’s food scene continues to grow, some in the industry say the pool of professional chefs hasn’t kept up with demand.
Police have charged a truck driver from the Hamilton area in a hit-and-run crash that killed a tow truck operator who had been stopped while helping a driver on the side of Highway 401 outside Woodstock, Ont.
Power has been restored to most of Haines Junction after a problem earlier on Monday at the local generating station.
A 56-year-old man will return to court on Tuesday for a charge of second-degree murder, laid in a case London police have called an act of femicide.
The chairman of the committee leading Newfoundland and Labrador's independent review of the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding with Quebec is backing the impartiality of his three-man team.
The province has taken a major step toward restarting its onshore natural gas industry.
Allan Legere, serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Alberta, has been denied a request for full parole.
Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club has asked a judge to decide whether the City of Winnipeg can ignore a provincial decision about residential housing slated to rise next to the club.
A Saskatoon woman says she watched her neighbour's police standoff play out in real time on social media.