#PeopleofPCH – Walt, Volunteer
December 5, 2024
About
About Us
Partners Community Health is a not-for-profit, charitable organization focused on bringing healthcare services together around the needs of people living in Mississauga and West Toronto. True to our name, Partners Community Health is dedicated to working with community partners to deliver an integrated system of care that puts people first.
Partners Community Health manages Wellbrook Place, two state-of-the-art Long term Care homes (Wellbrook Place East and Wellbrook Place West) and seniors hub at 2180 Speakman Drive in Mississauga. Operated by PCH, the homes have a combined 632-beds and are a part of PCH’s larger strategy that introduces innovative and inclusive programs and services and new models of care delivery.
Our Vision, Mission & Values
Vision
To honour lives and choices and deliver seamless care.
Mission
We are committed to building strong system partnerships and connections that put people first, a learning and leading healthcare community and best in class service across the aging continuum.
Our Values
Compassion
We care for all people with respect, dignity and empathy
Excellence
We provide high quality care with an optimal experience in a learning environment
Inclusivity
We bring diversity, equity and cultural appropriateness into everything we do
Creativity
We are innovative and embrace new and different ideas
Our Leadership Team
Partners Community Health is led by experienced health professionals who share a passion for compassionate, inclusive care across the aging continuum.
Tess Romain
President and CEO
Tess is an experienced leader in the Ontario healthcare system, focused on improving outcomes for patients and communities through local and system-level transformation.
Prior to joining PCH, she was the Transitional Regional Lead for Ontario Health (Toronto) and CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).
During her time at Toronto Central, Tess led portfolios in communications, strategy, integration, and planning. She played a key role in the integration of Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre with the Toronto Central LHIN, led the integrated Home & Community Care program through transformational change, and spearheaded the development of Local Collaboratives to support local integrated health system delivery networks, which was the foundation of Ontario Health Teams. Tess also championed an equity focus with the launch of a Toronto Region Anti-Racism Framework. Finally, she led the COVID-19 response in Toronto Region for 16 months in collaboration with health and non-health partners, including the launch of the GTA Incident Management Structure (IMS).
Before joining the LHIN, Tess was the Director of Strategy Management and Governance at Joseph Brant Hospital. She has also served in senior-level positions for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, and Public Infrastructure Renewal in Ontario.
Tess is dedicated to patient-centred, equitable access to healthcare through partnership and collaboration across healthcare and beyond to improve the outcomes and experience for those we serve.
Raj Krishnapillai
Vice President, Business Operations and Chief Financial Officer
Raj is an experienced health systems leader with over 20 years of progressive leadership in the health care, not-for-profit and private sectors. Raj joins PCH from Ontario Health’s Toronto Region where, most recently, he was their Vice President of Performance, Accountability and Funding Allocation. Prior to his role at Ontario Health, Raj spent over 10 years at the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) as CFO, leading the finance and corporate services functions.
At PCH, Raj plays an important role in supporting the organization’s strategy execution and organizational effectiveness. Through his leadership of the Business Operations Portfolio, Raj enables and elevates operational excellence of PCH’s financial management, performance management, procurement, information systems and administrative functions.
Known as a collaborative leader, Raj has exceptional skill working with diverse stakeholders including organizational boards, provincial ministries, senior management teams and community partners and has a proven track record of driving operational efficiency and leading business and transformational strategy in healthcare delivery.
Raj holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Athabasca, and is a Designated CPA, CGA.
Dr. Ruben Hernandez Rodriguez
Vice President, Seniors Care and Clinical Services
Ruben comes to PCH from Humber River Hospital where he was the Program Director of Post Acute & Reactivation Care and Clinical Lead Development of Humber Meadows Long-Term Care.
At PCH, Ruben provides strategic leadership and oversight on the operations and clinical services at Wellbrook Place.
Ruben is a Registered Nurse and leader with over 20 years of experience across the healthcare sector. He is passionate about continuous quality improvement and evidence-based practice and is interested in creating avenues that lead to an equitable health system with a focus on healthy aging, aging in place and aging in the community.
Ruben holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with a major in Business Analytics, and a Doctorate in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix with a research focus on the development leaders in Long-term Care.
Fiorinta Flammia
Executive Director, Wellbrook Place West
Fiorinta is an experienced Executive Director in long-term care with over 10 years of leadership experience. She holds certificates in Gentle Persuasion Approach, IPAC Fundamentals, CLRI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training and has completed AdvantAge Ontario’s Administrator Leadership Program.
Fiorinta has leveraged her extensive background in long-term care and human resources to support several long-term care operators, including working with The City of Toronto and supporting the operations of multiple homes in previous roles. She is a client focused leader, who understands the value of building sustainable working relationships with staff, residents, and the community.
Deslyn Willock
Executive Director, Wellbrook Place East
Deslyn is an experienced Executive Director in long-term care with over 11 years of leadership experience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with honours in Sociology, Social Service Worker-Gerontology with Honours diploma, and certificates in P.I.E.C.E.S., DementiAbility, and is a certified Long Term Care Administrator.
Deslyn’s work in the healthcare sector is extensive through collaboration with key community partners such as hospitals, client placement agencies, non-profit agencies, government stakeholders and working with teams preparing for Accreditation through Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and Accreditation Canada.
As a community advocate, Deslyn is a dedicated Rotarian and participates in multiple community and charitable activities that serve local and international communities.
Joel Borgida
Director, People and Culture
Joel has 18 years of experience leading Human Resources and Organizational Development teams within Ontario’s health care system and the not-for-profit sector. Joel has led HR, organizational development and communications teams in hospital, long-term care, community, and government sectors and brings a person-centred approach to his professional focus on leadership development, change management, employee engagement, strategy, and culture development.
Prior to joining PCH, Joel held the role of Vice-President of Human Resources and Organizational Development at the Toronto Central LHIN. Joel is also a certified executive coach and holds certifications in facilitation and alternative dispute resolution.
In his current role as the Director of People and Culture at PCH, Joel is leading the people practices and is dedicated to developing an engaged, healthy, inclusive workforce and workplace culture.
Shaun Dias
Director, Communications and Public Affairs
As the Director of Communications & Public Affairs and a member of PCH’s Senior Management team, Shaun is a passionate healthcare advocate who brings a positive attitude and keen strategic advice to his work. At PCH, he oversees and drives the organization’s communications strategies, including all internal and external communications, branding, creative services, media relations, stakeholder engagement and government relations.
Prior to joining PCH, Shaun worked at Toronto’s University Health Network for 12 years in progressively senior communications roles. During this time, he played an important role in launching Canada’s first COVID-19 vaccine clinic in December 2020 and supporting communications around vaccine distribution in the community. He also engaged closely with members of the Parkdale and Kensington communities, helping UHN gain community endorsement for the construction of a 51-unit modular housing build and the expansion of UHN’s Toronto Western Hospital site.
Since 2022, Shaun has been serving as the co-chair of Mississauga Health’s Communications Planning Table, helping advance the mission and vision of Mississauga’s Ontario Health Team (OHT).
Kathy Lashley
Director, Strategy and Governance
Kathy is a practiced leader in the healthcare industry, with a focus on long-term care, system flow and capacity, and extensive experience working with seniors and individuals with dementia. Kathy comes to PCH from Ontario Health Toronto Region, where she worked with hospital, community support, long-term care, and other partners to support the transfer of ALC and complex patients across the continuum of care in response to hospital pressures. In this role, Kathy worked closely with the community support sector to develop new and innovative places of care, including short term transitional care models.
Kathy brings additional expertise in project management, Home and Community Care, and Long-Term Care operations, honed during her time as a leader at the (former) Toronto CCAC, Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), and Kensington Health Centre.
Tess Romain
President, CEO
Tess is an experienced leader in the Ontario health care system focused on improving outcomes for patients and communities through local and system-level transformation. Prior to joining PCH, she was the Transitional Regional Lead for Ontario Health (Toronto) and CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).
During her time at Toronto Central, Tess led portfolios in communications, strategy, integration, and planning. She played a key role in the integration of Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre with the Toronto Central LHIN, led the integrated Home & Community Care program through transformational change, and spearheaded the development of Local Collaboratives to support local integrated health system delivery networks, which was the foundation of Ontario Health Teams. Tess also championed an equity focus with the launch of a Toronto Region Anti-Racism Framework. Finally, she led the COVID-19 response in Toronto Region for 16 months in collaboration with health and non-health partners, including the launch of the GTA Incident Management Structure (IMS).
Before joining the LHIN, Tess was the Director of Strategy Management and Governance at Joseph Brant Hospital. She has also served in senior-level positions for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, and Public Infrastructure Renewal in Ontario. Tess is dedicated to patient-centred, equitable access to health care through partnership and collaboration across health care and beyond to improve the outcomes and experience for those we serve.
Our Leadership Team
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Governance
Our Board of Directors
Jeff Lozon
Anita Stellinga
Louise Smith
Karen Wensley
Terri Irwin
Scott Jarrett
Adrian de Saldanha
Steven Kresak
Jeff Lozon
Jeffrey Lozon is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lozon and Associates Inc., an independent advisory firm providing strategic counsel to the health and seniors industries across North America. An experienced corporate director, Mr. Lozon currently holds the role of Chair for Sunrise Senior Living and Medical Facilities Corporation.
Considered one of Canada’s most respected health leaders, Mr. Lozon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his current roles. His previous executive experience includes 5 years as President, CEO, and Director of Revera Inc., a leading provider of senior care, and 17 years as President and CEO of Saint Michael’s Hospital.
Mr. Lozon was seconded to serve as Deputy Minister of Health and Long Term Care for the Province of Ontario from 1999 – 2000. He also served in key leadership roles for Canada Health Infoway and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. In 2009, he was appointed a a Member of the Order of Canada for his innovative and sustained leadership in healthcare management and for advancing care for the most vulnerable patient populations.
Anita Stellinga
Anita Stellinga is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector with a focus on leadership, strategic planning, governance, communications, public policy, and community development.
Anita has enjoyed a progressive career with United Way beginning with United Way of Peel Region in 1995. Currently, she is the Vice President, Corporate Communications & Public Policy and Corporate Secretary, and leads a dynamic team that drives long term change to improve social conditions across the GTA. In 2017, Anita was appointed the Interim President and CEO of United Way of Peel Region, and she oversaw the organization’s fundraising campaign, governance, advocacy, stakeholder engagement and community development initiatives. During this time, she also led the organization through a successful merger with United Way Toronto and York Region to form United Way Greater Toronto, the world’s largest United Way.
Before joining United Way, Anita was a member of the management team of Poly-Cultural Immigrant & Community Services where she had responsibility for community-based programming and planning focussed on supports for newcomer and immigrant families, women, persons with disabilities, youth and seniors.
Anita holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto at Mississauga. She has a rich bi-racial background of Polish and South Asian heritage and is fluent in Polish and Hindi. Her early experiences and life journey have shaped her belief in the strength of community and the power of hope to make a difference in people’s lives.
Louise Smith
Louise Smith is a healthcare professional with 35 years of leadership, project management and inter-professional team experience. A graduate of McMaster University School of Nursing, she was one of the original directors of Credit Valley Hospital, establishing and developing Quality and Risk Management.
During the start-up phase, she became the Executive Director of the Credit Valley Family Health Team and Family Medicine Teaching Unit. Louise has had multiple board and consulting roles including Heart House Hospice, CarePoint Health and providing consultation to the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC).
Louise has received awards from the University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine for Excellence in Leadership and from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario for Advances in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Management. Louise is a Francophone member of the community.
Karen Wensley
Karen Wensley is a private consultant, providing HR-related services including executive coaching. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Gore Mutual Insurance, where she chairs the Audit and Risk Committee, and Amref Health Canada.
Before her retirement, Karen was a Partner at Ernst & Young with overall responsibility for the HR functions of Ernst & Young Canada, and previously as a tax partner, specializing in the health care, biotechnology and IT industries. Her clients included several major research hospitals, and she also worked with the Boards of Directors and Audit Committees of her large public company clients.
Following her retirement, she was a lecturer on Business Ethics at the University of Waterloo, and a volunteer mentor with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. She is a frequent speaker on business ethics, diversity and inclusion, and personal branding. Karen has served on the Board of several organizations, including Trillium Health Partners, the Information Technology Association of Canada, and the Association for Bright Children.
Terri Irwin
Terri Irwin is Executive Vice President, Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Executive at Trillium Health Partners (THP). Terri has served as VP, Patient Care Services since July 2021 where she has provided executive level leadership to our Surgery & Peri-Operative, Cardiac Health, Medical Device Reprocessing, Neuro/MSK and Patient Support Services departments. She joined THP in 2019 as Director of Surgery and Perioperative Services, where she provided strategic leadership as co-chair of the Peri-Operative Committee in the planning and implementation of surgery changes throughout the pandemic, including the implementation of pre-operative testing, development of a principled approach to recovery planning, and supports for redeployed staff.
Prior to joining THP, Terri was the Director of the Quality Standards program at Health Quality Ontario where she worked to drive inter-professional quality improvement through the development, implementation, measurement, and reporting of clinical quality standards at the provincial level. Terri holds a Master of Nursing, Administration Stream from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Nursing from Queen’s University, and has over 20 years of experience in professional practice, clinical operations, and quality improvement.
Scott Jarrett
Scott Jarrett is the Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer of Trillium Health Partners. Prior to joining THP, Scott was the Executive Vice President and Chief of Clinical Programs at Humber River Hospital.
Throughout his tenure at Humber, Scott led and influenced several key change management initiatives, including the redevelopment of the Reactivation Care Centres, and developments for a new nursing home, research centre, and future new hospital. Additionally, Scott had leadership accountability for the Ontario Health Team, diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as the achievement of Humber River Hospital’s PCOP targets, resulting in funding/volume optimization.
Prior to his time at Humber, Scott spent over 14 years working in a number of healthcare organizations in Ontario. A professional and dynamic individual with strong analytical, financial planning and evaluation skills, Scott has accomplished many change initiatives within these organizations, acting as role model in empowering staff decision-making and team cooperation.
Adrian de Saldanha
Adrian de Saldanha is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D), with extensive business experience, having held senior finance executive roles including that of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President Finance and Treasurer for companies listed on the TSX, NYSE and NASDAQ. Adrian’s broad experience also includes oversight of portfolio companies, large pension fund and other investment portfolios, as well as oversight of enterprise risk, human resources, and information technology as part of larger mandates.
Adrian served as a Board Member or Board Observer for companies involved in aviation, engineering consulting, and industrial services, and in the not-for-profit sector.
Adrian is currently an independent Departmental Audit Committee (DAC) member for Shared Service Canada. In May 2024, Adrian completed 6 years (2 terms) as a DAC member for Canada’s Department of National Defence.
Steven Kresak
Steven Kresak is a corporate legal executive with over 20 years of leadership experience helping clients solve their most difficult problems and accelerating business performance. He has deep expertise advising both private and public companies across a variety of different sectors. Steven and his teams have been recognized by multiple industry associations across Canada and the United States for their service excellence, efficiency, and innovation.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Saskatchewan and a Law degree (Distinction) from the University of Alberta. Steven is a former Editor of the Alberta Law Review. Pragmatic, empathetic and purpose driven, he believes great teams power organizational success.
Jeff Lozon
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Anita Stellinga
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Louise Smith
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Karen Wensley
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Stephanie Joyce
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Scott Jarrett
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Accountability
Annual Reports & Audited Financials
Click below to read the flipbook version of the PCH 2024 Annual Report