Brockville Hospital president stepping down
Vlacholias hailed for improvements as he leaves for role at London facility
After seven years at the helm, the president and chief executive officer of Brockville General Hospital is moving on.
The hospital's board of directors announced Thursday, “with mixed emotions,” that Nick Vlacholias would be stepping down in November.
According to the board, Vlacholias has accepted an executive leadership position as vice-president and chief financial officer at London Health Sciences Centre, one of the largest teaching hospitals in Ontario.
“Nick's care for the community has been well established and demonstrated in his actions and words,” board chairman James Eastwood said in a statement.
“From keeping the community informed with his good friend Bruce Wylie every Monday morning on the local radio station, to forming partnerships with other organizations to do what is best for the community, his good nature and personality and, most importantly taking time to listen and understand the community's needs and wants.”
Before coming to Brockville, Vlacholias worked for five years at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa as its senior vice-president and chief financial officer.
He was hired at Brockville General in July 2017, when it was discovered the local facility was going through “extreme financial distress.” In September 2016, officials revealed the facility was saddled with a $4.2-million deficit, forcing them to take out a $5.3-million loan from the Local Health Integration Network to help pay bills.
Soon after the hospital's financial woes were uncovered, the province took the relatively rare step of appointing a supervisor to manage the facility, and Vlacholias was one of the first ones hired to help turn things around.
At the time, he was not only entrusted with improving the financial picture, but he was also further charged with instituting a culture change at a workplace that had experienced dwindling morale over the years.
In the seven years he worked in Brockville, he was successful in all these duties, Eastwood said.
“Under Nick's leadership, Brockville General has seen remarkable progress to become one of the best and safest hospitals in Ontario,” the board said in a statement.
“What has been achieved in a short period of time is extremely unique in the history of the Ontario hospital system. From our new buildings and expanded services, our equipment renewal, financial stability with balanced operating results since 2017, leaders in medium size hospital advocacy, dealing with the global pandemic, our partnership with CHEO, renewed staff engagement, our innovative MRI building solution and rebuilding of our brand and image are certainly some highlights.”
Eastwood said the board of directors would meet with Vlacholias over the next couple of weeks to establish a transition plan for his
Under Nick's leadership, Brockville General has seen remarkable progress to become one of the best and safest hospitals in Ontario.
departure in November.
In a statement Thursday, Vlacholias thanked the board and local leadership team, adding the successes they achieved could only have been done together.
“These decisions are never easy, and timing will never be perfect, but this exciting opportunity to join the team in London comes at a time where Brockville General is on solid footing with an exceptional team to continue the journey in improving care for our patients and families across Leeds Grenville,” Vlacholias said in a prepared statement.
“My proudest moments have always been about our staff and their dedication and commitment in providing the best possible care to our community. A big thank you to all staff at Brockville General.”
In his remarks, Vlacholias said he was grateful to MPP Steve Clark for his “continued and relentless advocacy for our hospital.”
In a statement of his own, Clark thanked his “friend Nick on behalf of everyone who values and relies on Brockville General for his leadership in strengthening our community hospital.”
“Nick's advocacy was also instrumental in helping me and my caucus colleagues work with our government to ensure small and medium-sized hospitals now get their fair share of funding,” Clark wrote.
“That's made a difference for patient care here and across the province.”
Vlacholias also thanked Jim Cooper, who, along with David Beatty, was appointed in 2017 by the provincial supervisor as the board chairman, and for many years “provided the wisdom, advice and stewardship that paved the success for the hospital,” he said.
Vlacholias said that, while he was sad to leave, he was confident they had established a foundation for the hospital to “shine bright now and in the future.”
“Exciting things have been set in motion and I will be watching the organization succeed even further,” he said.