Hospital board announces leadership changes

A new leader is at the helm of the hospital’s board of directors as its longtime chair steps down.

Hospital board announces leadership changes Back to video

Brockville General Hospital announced on Friday its board of directors elected a new chair and vice-chair this week, bringing an end to Canarm president Jim Cooper’s seven-year stint as leader. Now, local lawyer James Eastwood will serve as chair after previously serving in the role as vice-chair. “I’m honoured to take on this role and excited to work with our exemplary board of directors, the dedicated professionals at Brockville General, and our partners on our collective mission to deliver the best healthcare experience,” Eastwood said in a written statement. “Brockville General and our community owe tremendous thanks to Jim for his leadership and vision. He was instrumental in helping guide our hospital through incredibly challenging times, including stabilizing the hospital’s leadership, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and preparing the hospital to meet the growing healthcare needs of our region.”

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Eastwood is a partner at Eastwood, O’Reilly Law Offices in Brockville, whose law practice is focused on family law and employment law. “James spent much of the past 25 years coaching kids’ sports but has now transitioned to board work, having gained experience in this area by providing legal services for a variety of boards of directors during his legal career,” a profile on the hospital’s website reads. Cooper, the president and CEO of Canarm who became chair in 2017, will remain a member of the board. In the hospital’s annual report to the community, Cooper said Brockville General has risen to meet every challenge since it first started caring for the community in 1885, and thanked local leaders, staff, physicians, and volunteers for “ everything they do to provide outstanding care.”

“Emerging from the COVID 19 pandemic, we faced new challenges like an unprecedented demand for service, maintaining staffing levels, and financial pressures,” said Cooper. “I’m proud of our Brockville General team for meeting these issues head on by implementing innovative solutions while showing leadership through our advocacy locally and at the provincial level,” Catherine Macdonald was announced as the new vice-chair, and Connie Cote was added as a new member of the board of directors. The changes were made at the inaugural meeting of the hospital’s volunteer board of directors on June 27, where they announced this year marked a seventh consecutive balanced operating budget. The annual report also said it was a busy year at BGH. Between 2023 and 2024, the emergency department saw more than 30,000 visits. They also said there were 77,153 diagnostic imaging exams performed, 29,684 ambulatory visits, 4,172 acute care admissions, 332 births, and 8,126 surgical procedures. The hospital also opened its new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine and modernized mammography suite, both supported by fundraising efforts of the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation.

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