Head of Windsor hospital taking helm of LHSC

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After years of turmoil at the top, London Health Sciences Centre is borrowing Windsor’s hospital boss – but for how long and exactly why remain unclear.

David Musyj, president and chief executive at Windsor Regional Hospital, has been named acting chief executive of London Health Sciences Centre, the latter’s board of directors announced Friday.

He will temporarily fill the top job previously held by Jackie Schleifer Taylor, who went off on medical leave in November amid a controversy over plans to spend $470,000 on executive travel.

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“This secondment is open-ended, and Mr. Musyj will assume the responsibilities of leading our executive team and the broader LHSC organization,” LHSC board chair Matthew Wilson wrote in an internal email to hospital staff obtained by The Free Press.

The hospital also made a short announcement on its website Friday.

“Mr. Musyj brings deep health-care leadership and expertise to LHSC, including more than 15 years of experience leading a major hospital organization,” Wilson said in the announcement.

Dr. Kevin Chan, who has served as acting chief executive since Schleifer Taylor’s leave began last fall, will return to his previous role as corporate medical executive beginning next week, Wilson said in the email to staff.

Musyj will have his hands full at LHSC, where consecutive scandals over executive travels, a projected $76 million deficit and a provincial investigation have weakened public confidence in the institution. But there’s no clear and public indication, yet, that he’s coming to the London hospital to fix problems.

A physiotherapist by education, Schleifer Taylor took the hospital’s helm in January 2021, becoming LHSC’s acting leader in the wake of a pandemic travel scandal that resulted in the abrupt termination of former president Paul Woods.

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Her tenure lasted less than three years before another travel scandal erupted.

The Ontario Ministry of Health launched an investigation in November 2023 after The London Free Press reported details of two trips last fall by senior staff to Portugal and the United Arab Emirates and a planned trip to Australia. Sixteen staff travelled to Portugal to attend an international hospital conference and six executives travelled to the UAE.

The total cost of the three trips was approximately $470,000, sparking criticism from unions and taxpayer groups.

LHSC cancelled the eight-day Australia trip two days before 11 of its staff were scheduled to depart.

LHSC’s announcement made no mention of Schleifer Taylor’s potential return and the province offered no updates on its investigation Friday.

“As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be providing further details at this time,” Hannah Jensen, spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones, said in an emailed statement.

The move to bring Musyj aboard at LHSC has the support of the health minister, Jensen said.

“We congratulate David Musyj on his new role as interim CEO. David has been a leader in connecting people in Windsor to high quality care, and we are confident he will bring those skills to London Health Sciences Centre,” she emailed on behalf of Jones. “Hospital boards, as set out by the Hospitals Act, are responsible for their own day-to-day operations including leadership decisions. The ministry has been assured by LHSC that leadership changes will not affect the delivery of patient care.”

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The minister’s confidence isn’t shared by Peter Bergmanis, founder and chair of the London Health Coalition.

“It’s not instilling any confidence in me and I don’t think it’s going instill much confidence in the staff or patients going there,” he said. “This constant merry go-around – I don’t feel any confidence that anything is changing at all.”

LHSC has justifiably gained a reputation for being secretive and not accountable to the community, Bergmanis said.

“This hospital board has been riddled with scandal. It’s completely blind to the needs of the community, not quite grasping the look of sending executives all over the world when you have a staffing crisis,” Bergmanis said.

Musyj will begin his new role next week, and on May 24 will attend a forum to meet directly with hospital staff, LHSC staff were told.

“A stable and strong London Health Sciences Centre is good for London, Windsor, the region, the province, Canada and in fact internationally,” Musyj said on Friday. “I am honoured to be part of the LHSC team.”

Musyj joined Windsor Regional Hospital in 2000 and became its president and chief executive in December 2007. Born and raised in Essex County, Musyj is licensed to practise law in both Ontario and Michigan.

The Ontario Nurses Association declined to comment Friday about the hiring of Musyj. Representatives of several other hospital unions couldn’t be reached for comment.

rrichmond@postmedia.com

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