Interior Health Authority CEO Dr. Rob Halpenny has announced his retirement for the fall of 2015.

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than five years as chief executive officer, Dr. Robert Halpenny is resigning from the Interior Health Authority.

The announcement that Halpenny will resign from his position, effective this fall, came today, June 9.

“Over the five and a half years that Dr. Halpenny has served as CEO, he has driven transformative change across the organization with a primary focus on quality improvement in all activities of the health authority,” Erwin Malzer, chair of the health authority board of directors, said in a press release. “There is not a facility, program or service within Interior Health that does not have his legacy stamped on it, a legacy that will serve us well as we continue our organization’s quality journey into the future.”

Halpenny began working for the heath authority in 2007 as senior medical director. He succeeded former CEO Murray Ramsden in 2010 when the board named him to fill the position. His previously worked for the Provincial Health Authority as executive director of cardiac services and vice-president of medicine for the Fraser Health Authority.

“It has been an absolute privilege to serve our residents in the Central and Southern Interior, and to support and lead the more than 20,000 staff and physicians who provide care to our patients, clients, and residents every day,” Halpenny said. “While I will miss the role and especially the people I interacted with each day, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and for a new CEO to lead Interior Health and our committed, passionate health professionals forward.”

According to Malzer, he will lead the search committee seeking a replacement for Halpenny and will hire an executive recruiting firm to aid in the search.

The Interior Health Authority provides health care services for 750,000 people in the Central and Southern Interior and is governed by a provincial-government appointed board of directors.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015