OLTCA announces Candace Chartier as incoming CEO
Chartier to focus on strengthening membership
Wednesday May 9, 2012 -- Deron Hamel
The Ontario Long Term Care Association’s (OLTCA) incoming CEO Candace Chartier says strengthening the organization’s membership will be a top priority in her new role.

Chartier, who will officially become the organization’s CEO July 2, says part of her plan is asking OLTCA members two questions: What are your two top priorities and how can we help you in those areas?

She also plans to build stronger connections between home members and commercial members. Commercial members, she notes, have “some phenomenal products out there” that help homes maximize care.

“It’s about bringing all that expertise together and making it a stronger membership,” Chartier tells the Morning Report.

What’s exciting Chartier most about her new role, she says, is meeting stakeholders and bringing issues “to a greater level with a greater voice.” She says she’s also excited about opportunities to link providers through a more collaborative approach.

OLTCA board members announced May 7 they had selected Chartier as the organization’s new CEO. Chartier currently serves as long-term care provider OMNI Health Care’s chief operating officer (COO).

Chartier comes to the position after serving Peterborough, Ont.-based OMNI for 17 years. As COO, she led and oversaw more than 1,700 employees in the organization’s 17 long-term care homes. Through her experience with OMNI Chartier brings a wealth of experience directing quality initiatives, says Patrick McCarthy, OMNI’s president and CEO.

McCarthy says that Chartier proved to be a champion at delivering results for the organization and also helped forge valuable working relationships with government, sector partners and OLTCA members.

“Candace’s wealth of experience will serve the OLTCA well,” says McCarthy, who also serves as the OLTCA’s board president.

“She is a strong leader, skilled administrator, effective communicator and practiced health-care professional.”

McCarthy says Chartier is well-suited to the position of OLTCA CEO because she “understands first-hand the needs of our members and the administrative, financial and policy environment we operate in.”

“She knows our residents and understands their increasingly complex care needs, and she is experienced in the complexity of government and health sector relations, having served on numerous advisory, implementation and operational committees at the provincial, regional and local levels,” he says.

McCarthy adds that Chartier is also a “champion” when it comes to delivering quality initiatives, which has been demonstrated by her membership on the OLTCA’s quality committee and her understanding of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s quality mandate.

Chartier has previously held positions in long-term care as a registered nurse, administrator and director of care.  She is currently pursuing an executive MBA at the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business.

— With files from Kristian Partington

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