In the wake of the 2015 reform of the health and social services system, the Centres jeunesse de l’Outaouais (CJO) disappeared as a legal entity. As a result, the CJO Foundation lost it mandate and had to be disbanded. As Executive Director of the Centres jeunesse de l’Outaouais, I had previously been tasked with managing the CJO Foundation along with a Board of Directors. Accordingly, I had to make the decision to dissolve the CJO Foundation and join the Gatineau Health Foundation (GHF). I retired from the health and social services system on April 1,²⁰¹⁵, and after 37 years of working with youths at risk and in need of protection in our region, I decided to join the GHF Board of Directors.

At the Gatineau Health Foundation, health is envisioned through a holistic approach. This allows us to take into account the entire spectrum of needs of youths at risk and in need of protection as evidenced by recent investments in the region’s rehabilitation centres and youth protection services.

My experience and knowledge of health and social services are useful assets when it comes to identifying our population’s needs and prioritizing projects to be implemented. I am playing a very active role in our Joint Philanthropic Coordination Committee to ensure strategic integration and effective communication with the CISSS de l’Outaouais, in addition to my work on the Human Resources Committee.

I am proud to be part of the Foundation’s team of dynamic administrators and staff, and I feel privileged to be able to witness incredible donors and citizens doing their part to make a real difference towards better health and social services for everyone in the Outaouais region.

In these times of shared hardship, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the tremendous efforts and courage of all the employees at the CISSS de l’Outaouais and the Gatineau Health Foundation.

Thank you, and stay strong!

– Luc Cadieux

I joined the Gatineau Health Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2019, and my experience has been nothing but positive ever since. As soon as I started getting involved with the Foundation, I discovered an innovative, results-oriented organization driven by a profoundly committed team and supported by scores of dedicated professionals and volunteers.

As a lawyer working in labour law and a managing partner at an Outaouais law firm, I am pleased to put my management and legal expertise to good use for the Foundation, notably as President of its Human Resources Committee.

As a native of the region and an occasional beneficiary of our health care system, I feel personally compelled to help the Foundation achieve its mission and deliver positive impacts for the health and well-being of the Outaouais community.

In good times and bad – such as the birth of my three children or the loss of a loved one, respectively – I have witnessed firsthand the importance of helping our health care network carry out projects that have direct or indirect impacts on the people in the region. The Foundation has achieved some truly exceptional results, none of which would have been possible without the generosity of our many donors.

I am honoured to be able to help the Foundation achieve its mission, and I hope that more and more people will get involved to empower even more great initiatives in the coming years. In closing, I would like to thank all the health care professionals working tirelessly during this pandemic period. You are true heroes.

Nadine Bigras

I have been a proud member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors for almost five years. I accepted without a moment’s hesitation. As an emergency room physician for nearly 23 years, I don’t think I have to tell you that healthcare is near and dear to my heart. My experience on the ground as a doctor has helped me truly appreciate all the great work the Foundation is doing. I have personally seen how the Foundation’s support can lead to better care, with our patients benefiting tremendously as a result. I am now putting my medical expertise to use by helping the team identify and understand the needs of our hospitals and our population.

I feel privileged to work with our region’s exceptional donors and incredible people. Among other things, your donations are making it possible to operate on patients with aortic aneurysms and send them home in record time for recovery. We are actually the first to benefit from this new technology! I am proud to be part of the Foundation’s dedicated, dynamic team, just as I am also proud of our region’s population for their great generosity and engagement.

– Dr Josée Bussières, Administrator, Doctor, Outaouais CISSS

With the announcement of a new hospital in Gatineau and the growing challenges faced by the CISSS de l’Outaouais in providing quality health care services to the citizens of Gatineau and the Outaouais region, I did not hesitate to apply to join the Gatineau Health Foundation’s Board of Directors. I am honoured to have been appointed to the Board at the Annual General Meeting in June 2021, and I would like to thank the members of the Board for their confidence in me.

In November 2021, my eight-year term as a municipal councillor in the Carrefour-de-l’Hôpital district will come to a close. My role as administrator on the Foundation’s Board of Directors will allow me to continue to serve my fellow citizens, in a different role.

Having had a career in public administration within the federal government, I hope that my experience as a senior executive will help me in my new role as administrator of the Foundation.

My terms as President of the Board of Directors of Centraide Outaouais and then as President of the Board of Directors of the Société Alzheimer de l’Outaouais have also made me realize the importance of volunteering as a way to humbly contribute to a better quality of life for our citizens in need.

Finally, I would like to sincerely thank the members of the CISSS de l’Outaouais team and the Foundation’s staff who are working tirelessly to care for the citizens of our region during this unprecedented period.

Gilles Carpentier