Transition Board Members Appointed

Transition Board Members Appointed
Media Release - 30 November 2009

Eight of nine positions have been filled on the new Transition Board which will set up a new, sole Primary Health Organisation across Otago and Southland.

Transition Board chairman Dr Conway Powell and the Otago and Southland District Health Boards still have to announce a Maori representative for the Transition Board.

The confirmed Board members are:

Dr Conway Powell Chairman
Stuart Heal Primary Health Organisation (PHO) representative
Mark Crawford PHO representative
Norman Elder PHO representative
Prof Murray Tilyard General Practice (GP) representative
Dr Doug Hill GP representative
Kirsty Murrell-McMillan Nurse Representative
Bernie McKone Pharmacy representative.

Dr Powell said it had been very challenging to select only seven candidates from the 20 nominations received, such was the quality of the nominations.

The focus had been on assembling the skills to establish the new PHO. The Transition Board has a limited life span and will hand over the governance of the new PHO to a new representative board once the new PHO has been created, which should be about mid-2010.

Dr Powell said he was pleased the overall makeup of the Transition Board reflected a good mix of directors from rural and urban backgrounds, people from Southland and Otago, and representatives from a range of existing stakeholders.

The Transition Board can expect a busy lead up to Christmas: "I intend to hold the initial meeting of the Transition Board on Monday December 7 in Balclutha, followed by strategy development board meetings on Wednesday December 16 in Invercargill and Monday December 21 in Dunedin,” Dr Powell said.

Transition Board member background details:

* Stuart Heal: Central Otago businessman, Rural Otago PHO chairman
* Bernie McKone: Community-based pharmacist in Gore
* Dr Doug Hill: Broadway Medical Centre family doctor in Dunedin
* Prof Murray Tilyard: South Link Health executive director, Helensburgh Medical Centre family doctor in Dunedin, Professor of General Practice University of Otago, CEO of bpacnz * Kirsty Murrell-McMillan: Practice nurse/Nurse Practitioner candidate, Rural General Practice Network chairwoman (based in Southland)
* Mark Crawford: Farmer, company director and Takitimu PHO deputy chairman in Southland.
* Norman Elder: Lawyer in Invercargill, Invercargill City Councillor and Invercargill PHO member

ENDS

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