It is with mixed feelings of gratitude and sadness that Niagara Health System is announcing today that Dr. Joanna Hope will complete her more than five-year tenure as Interim Chief of Staff, effective April 28, 2014.
In accepting this challenging role, Dr. Hope built on her important work as the Chair of the organization’s credentials committee which oversaw physician applications and reappointments. In the ensuing years, Dr. Hope acted as the organization’s lead physician for medical quality, leader and Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Board, and overseer of the practice of more than 600 physicians. During her term, a great deal was accomplished at the organization, including major improvements of quality of care markers like Hospital Standardized Mortality and improvements in hand hygiene and a reduction in sepsis, and more recently a reduction in hospital-acquired infections. She also co-chaired the Board’s Bylaws Committee, the group charged with the challenging task of establishing important documentation of the corporation. Dr. Hope was a frequent spokesperson for the organization, and frequently led quality reviews with a view of building on success and learning where the organization could perform better.
Previous to taking on the role of Interim Chief of Staff, Dr. Hope was well-known as a family physician from Fenwick who had held numerous senior medical staff leadership positions within the NHS and was Chief of Staff of the Welland Hospital from 1992 to 1998. She will be returning to her busy family practice full-time, and will also continue to have physician privileges with Niagara Health System.
Future medical staff leadership will be announced in coming days, as will plans to celebrate Dr. Hope’s contributions.