Kristin Kennedy is officially wearing two hats.<\/p>\n
As of Sept. 1, Kennedy has taken over as president and CEO of both Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores HealthCare under a shared leadership model announced earlier this summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n The partnership is expected to save about $2 million annually by sharing executive leadership positions and reducing administrative duplication through vacancies, attrition and portfolio realignment, with no layoffs planned.<\/p>\n Speaking on AM800\u2019s Mornings with Mike and Meg, Kennedy said the decision was driven by a need to rethink how hospitals operate during difficult financial times.<\/p>\n \u201cThe health system, we\u2019re having some challenges with our finances and funding and challenges across Ontario, and what could we do to ensure that we were a good role model and using our taxpayer dollars in the right way. Looking outside the box and how we could find efficiencies and cost savings,\u201d Kennedy said.<\/p>\n She says she\u2019ll split her time between Erie Shores HealthCare and Windsor Regional\u2019s Ouellette and Metropolitan campuses, adding the arrangement should improve collaboration across the region\u2019s health-care system.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it is a benefit to the region. We\u2019ve worked in silos for a long time and I think that\u2019s something that COVID and the cyber attack really helped us understand that it was better to work together for the health system and for our patients and our families and our communities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n