Lindsay hospital welcomes new vice-president of clinical and chief nursing executive

From working in the emergency department to practising community medicine and chronic disease management, Vlad Padure is bringing his experience from the city to a more rural setting at Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) in Lindsay.

RMH announced Padure is the new vice-president of clinical and chief nursing executive for the Kawartha Lakes hospital. Padure started his new role on Monday (June 24).

"Ross Memorial is thrilled to welcome Vlad to our hospital's senior leadership team," said RMH president and CEO Kelly Isfan in a media release.

"With his extensive and varied experience both as a frontline clinician and in leadership roles overseeing the effective and innovative delivery of services, we are confident he will be a tremendous asset to our organization and community."

Padure hails from the Scarborough Health Network (SHN), where he served as director of emergency medicine, critical care, and respiratory services since 2021. In that position, he provided operational and strategic leadership to a network of emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and intensive care units spanning three hospital sites.

"I look forward to bringing my nursing experience, leadership, and passion for quality and efficient patient care to the organization and community," Padure said.

"Through a commitment to system-wide partnerships, innovation, and consumer-centered service creation, I believe we can enhance the access and quality of health care for the community we serve. I am excited to get to work with my new colleagues and partners in joining RMH's mission of delivering on the promise of a better health care experience."

Padure has worked in several nursing roles and led a large portfolio of clinical programs across various academic and community organizations over the past two decades, the release noted.

His nursing career started at the Toronto Metropolitan University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in nursing and subsequent a Masters in nursing and primary health care nurse practitioner certificate.

He later expanded his management and nursing leadership by completing an executive master of business administration at the University of Fredericton.

Early in his career, as a clinician, Padure practised as a registered nurse in the emergency department in 2008 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. He then shifted his clinical focus to community medicine and chronic disease management, working as a nurse practitioner at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital and Michael Garron for nearly a decade.

In 2017, Padure transitioned into an administrative leadership role at Humber River Hospital in Toronto where he eventually served as the program director for medicine and nephrology. He was also seconded to the Ontario Renal Network as the regional director with an Ontario health mandate to implement key strategic, quality, and regional service priorities for patients on dialysis.

He joined SHN in 2021 to lead the pandemic effort and post-pandemic workforce and service stabilization in the emergency department and critical care.

In Lindsay, Padure is taking the reins from Janice Raine, who joined RMH in February 2023 when Anne Overhoff, who had held the role for the previous 14 years, retired. Raine is also retiring in the near future.

Located in the heart of the City of Kawartha Lakes, RMH is an active, acute-care community hospital serving more than a combined 100,000 local residents and seasonal visitors.

Among its acute and continuing care services, RMH operates a 24/7/365 emergency department, a 15-station dialysis unit, and a level three intensive care unit. The hospital provides orthopedics, ophthalmology and general surgery, restorative seniors care, rehabilitation and palliative care. It offers a women's health clinic and mental health programs. The most recent expansion at the hospital included the addition of an MRI service, allowing for a full range of diagnostic imaging at RMH.

Natalie Hamilton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, KawarthaNOW