No major changes expected as Karen Riddell steps into CEO role at Windsor Regional Hospital

There will be no major change in the focus of Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) following the change in leadership at the health institution, acting president and CEO Karen Riddell said Wednesday.

Riddell took over from David Musyj, who's been seconded to London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) effective this week. 

"Both of us have the same focus … we're all very community- and patient-focused, so our goal is always to provide the best care possible," Riddell said during a news conference.

"I don't expect that the community and our staff are going to notice any differences in how things happen at the hospital."

Riddell said while "there might be new things" happening during Musyj's absence, she does not see the hospital changing its focus as an organization.

Riddell has been with WRH for 22 years, her most recent role being chief nursing executive.

"I think from a nursing perspective, I bring to the table the perspective of the front-line nurse, the front-line provider, and that is a little bit different than David," Riddell said.

"So I think that it is important to see, you know, clinical people that are in CEO roles, especially it's nice to see nursing in leadership positions as well. I think it's important for health care especially because we're one of the biggest … providers in health care, so to have that leadership voice, I think it's very important."

'Well suited' for role

The hospital's chief of staff Dr. Wassim Saad said he has "supreme confidence" in Riddell and her abilities.

"Obviously [she] is very well suited for this. She's got years of experience, a deep understanding of the hospital's mission and vision and values," Saad said.

"Because of how well we work together and have been working together for so many years, I think this transition is going to be seamless." 

'No preconceived agenda'

Meanwhile, Musyj said while he's not entering his new role at LHSC with instructions to fix anything, if there are issues that need to be fixed he'll be working with the team to fix them.

"The first thing … I'm going to do is listen," Musyj told CBC News.

According to Musyj, he's already set up individual meetings with more than 100 individuals, both internal and external to the organization.

"I'm not coming in with a pre-written agenda or terms of reference to be told what I'm supposed to be doing," he said.

"I'm being asked to come in just for that role of acting president and CEO… They're going to look to me to provide advice and provide direction moving forward. But again, there is no preconceived agenda, no fixer title attributed."

Musyj said he also hopes "to learn some things that [he] can bring back to Windsor."

Continued role in mega-hospital project

Musyj said there's no end date for his role in London. While he's away he will still be directly involved in the new hospital planning in Windsor. 

"The people that surrounded me at Windsor Regional Hospital are very strong and so they'll be there to help as well, but I will stay directly involved in [the mega-hospital project] and I can handle that," he said.

He reiterated that the goal is to get the tender documents out in 2025 and shovels in the ground in 2026.