Government & policy

Roger Girard new CIO at Manitoba eHealth

WINNIPEG – Manitoba eHealth is pleased to announce the appointment of Roger Girard (pictured) as its Chief Information Officer (CIO). In January 2008, Mr. Girard started his duties as CIO for Manitoba eHealth, where he is leading the development of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) for the province.

The pursuit of an EHR has been the focus of Mr. Girard’s career. He started in Manitoba, where he played a key role in the implementation of the first shared services Information Technology (IT) program in North America. Mr. Girard then went on to lead the amalgamation of the IT functions of five hospitals in Quebec. He was also the CIO for the Calgary Health Region, where he directed their Y2K effort.

More recently, he spent the past seven years in Ontario helping the Ministry of Health and their new Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) implement EHRs.

He held the role of Executive Lead for Ontario’s public health renewal program post-SARS, before becoming the Chief e-Health Strategist for Ontario. Prior to coming to Manitoba eHealth, he was the Integrated Vice President and Regional CIO of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN.

Mr. Girard acknowledges the road to a provincial EHR is long and complex, but he says the journey will be well worth the time and effort. “eHealth is about providing the right information at the right time to the right people, so that people and their families have access to the information they need to maintain their health and to access the services they require.

“Our strategy is based on collaboration with all parties, the Regional Health Authorities, Diagnostic Services of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, providers and their colleges and associations, to deliver on our shared vision,” he says.

Mr. Girard is the recipient of the 2006 President’s Award from Canada’s Health Informatics Association (COACH). He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Concordia University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba.

Manitoba eHealth is a provincial program responsible for the management and delivery of healthcare-related Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

This includes coordinating the implementation of a provincial Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution for Manitobans. An EHR is a secure and private lifetime record of an individual’s health and care history, available electronically to authorized health providers.

Patients benefit as their health providers have reliable access to their current medical and patient records, allowing for quicker decision making and reducing time spent waiting for information.

For more information about Manitoba eHealth go to www.manitoba-ehealth.ca.