Shannon Landry is leaving her executive position at Bluewater Health (BWH) to become the new vice president of restorative care and chief nursing executive at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) in Windsor this fall.
As chief nursing executive and vice president of clinical support services, Landry has led several initiatives over the past eight years, including BWH's Culture of Kindness program.
"I worked with the executive team and I worked personally with the employees at the hospital to ask them, 'What would it look like if BWH had a culture of kindness across the organization?' So what we're hearing now is that there is this culture, this feeling, this ripple effect across the whole organization," Landry said. "The culture at the hospital is just such a nice feeling and a nice environment."
Other highlights Landry noted were efforts to ensure high-quality care for patients, and her work with the Building Blue committee which focuses on recruitment and retention and works in partnership with Lambton College.
“We are deeply grateful for [Landry's] leadership and the transformative impact she has had on our hospital over the past eight years,” said BWH President and CEO Paula Reaume-Zimmer. “Her relentless drive for excellence and her commitment to patient care have left a lasting legacy. While we will miss her greatly, we wish her all the best in her new role with our partners at HDGH.”
Landry will begin her new role in September.
Once she's settled in, Landry said she looks forward to meeting hospital employees and building relationships with academic centres such as St. Clair College and the University of Windsor.
As stated in a media release, Landry will contribute to the overall strategic direction and operational oversight of nursing and clinical best practices in the restorative care program.
“We are thrilled to have [Landry] join the HDGH team. Her extensive experience and proven leadership abilities will undoubtedly enhance the quality of care we provide to our patients. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her increasingly complex roles within acute care and at the ministry level," said HDGH President and CEO Bill Marra. "As a Windsor native, we look forward to welcoming [Landry] and her husband home."
Landry called her return to Windsor a "full circle" experience. She received a diploma in nursing from St. Clair College, before obtaining additional degrees such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from McMaster University and a Master's in Nursing Administration from the University of Toronto.
"I did a lot of my student placement at the actual IODE Windsor Western, which is the site of HDGH, and my first nursing career started at Grace hospital so I really feel, from a professional perspective that I'm coming full circle," she said.
Landry has spent the last 24 years of her career in leadership roles, 14 of which were in executive positions.
"I always think that as an executive, as a leader, as a chief nurse... leaders are as good as their team and I have to say that I have an amazing, dedicated team at BWH," Landry said. "I look forward to the amazing, dedicated team at Hôtel-Dieu."
Meanwhile, BWH is actively recruiting to fill the position of chief nursing executive and vice president of clinical support services. More information can be found on BWH's website.