Another VP leaves Thunder Bay hospital

Another senior official is leaving the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

The head of the hospital announced Wednesday that vice-president Lori Marshall had submitted her resignation and comes on the heels of this month's resignation of Scott Potts, another vice-president.

Hospitalpresident and CEO Andre Robichaud made the announcement at a meeting with reporters during the annual general meeting of the hospital's research arm, the Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute.

Last week, in response to inquiries about Marshall from CBC News, hospital officialssaid she was on vacation. On Wednesday, Robichaud said Marshall had taken time off to contemplate what she wanted to do.

"She's decided to spend the summer with her kids and to move on," she said. "She's interested in getting back into the operations side, and she'd been in the planning side for the last two years or year and a half, and that was a decision that she made."

Robichaudsaid thehospital will have to recruit one or two newvice-presidents for her senior management team, "but that's organizations. People come, people go. I know people think that there is more to it than that, [but] that's all I can say."

'My right hand and my left hand'

Robichaud called Potts and Marshall "my right hand and my left hand. I cannot emphasize enough what they have done for this organization....but let's not forget we have another team sitting there that are going to continue this legacy....we're going to keep moving forward."

Asked about possible concerns the public might have about the departures of senior staff, as well as half a dozen emergency department doctors, Robichaud said there is no reason to worry that patient care will be affected.

In response to a question about how the resignations reflect on her leadership, she said before people pass judgement they should speak to Potts and Marshall.

Robichaudsaid the hospital has had big challenges over the years, and "has problems here and there," but is starting to get results.

"I've been in health care for a long time, I work long hours, and I have an excellent team. And I think we have good outcomes here in Thunder Bay."

Robichaud added: "People need to judge people on facts, not on innuendo and not on rumours."

The head of the Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute, Michael Wood, resigned in April. He was in the job less than a year after replacing former CEO Michael Power.