NEWS RELEASE
NORTH EAST LHIN
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Preparing to move 24 hospitals to a single Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system is no small task. However, it’s one that a Sault Area Hospital (SAH) employee has embraced enthusiastically by working tirelessly while keeping an infectiously positive attitude. For this commitment to improved patient care, SAH Enterprise Architect, Chad Carter, has been named a recipient of the North East LHIN’s Healthy Change Champion award.
“Chad has been playing an integral role for some time on the region-wide ONE information technology project that our LHIN is undertaking,” said Tamara Shewciw, chief information officer at the North East LHIN. “He is recognized across the northeast for his leadership, initiative, and technical knowledge – all of which have been invaluable on this project. He has proven himself to be a Healthy Change Champion!”
Chad was born and raised in Elliot Lake, where much of his family continues to live. His experiences with health care information technology (I.T.) began in Southern Ontario, where he spent five years working at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener as the technical manager. In 2005, a job opening at SAH brought Chad and his family back to the north and they have lived in Sault Ste. Marie ever since.
Chad’s role as enterprise architect keeps him involved in all aspects of SAH’s I.T. environment. “I am responsible for overall technology direction including strategic planning at the hospital. This allows me the opportunity to lead and participate in many exciting projects and work closely with our I.T. teams throughout the hospital,” explained Chad.
Recently, Chad has played a central role in the North East LHIN’s ONE project. The LHIN is working with 24 hospitals across the region to move to a common system that will allow for a one-patient, one-record approach and the development of evidence-based standards of care for Northern patients.
“With ONE, my role has been primarily focused on the design and architecture components, ensuring we have the appropriate technical platform to support the project. This includes components such as data center design, storage, computing, networking, and security,” said Chad.
Chad highlights how impressed he is with the calibre of his peers working in I.T. across the North East LHIN and the degree of collaboration that is underway. “The project is a regional effort and I have had the opportunity to work closely with many of our partner hospitals,” said Chad. “We are drawing on expertise from across Northeastern Ontario and it is impressive to see what we are able to accomplish as a team. The people and resources in our LHIN are fantastic.”
In true northern style, Chad and his busy family enjoy the outdoors – everything from snowmobiling to boating. Regular trips to the hockey rink are another favourite family activity. As he reflects on his career path, Chad is pleased to have had the chance to return to northern Ontario to be close to his wider family and also to have found fulfilling work in health care.
“Working in the health care sector keeps me challenged and allows me to apply my strengths in the technology field to improve patient care,” said Chad. “I look forward to going to work every day.”
For more information on the North East LHIN’s Healthy Change Champion Award, including the award’s criteria, past winners, and how to submit a nomination, please visit here.
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