Culture, Community and Commitment

Donna Ladouceur is no stranger to the health care system. She spent 50 years dedicated to a career in nursing – first on the frontlines, caring for patients in clinical units and in the community, then in hospital-based research as a senior leader, before capping off her career as the Vice President of Home and Community Care for the South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Now, Donna is bringing her deep knowledge of health care and her passion for having an impact to a new role – Chair of the St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s) Board of Directors.  

We sat down with Donna as she begins this new journey to learn more about what brought her to this point, and her vision for St. Joseph’s.

Q: How has your career shaped your decision to step into the role of Board Chair?

A: I was very fortunate to have a tremendous career in health care. When I was working, I constantly thought about how I could give back. Even in my early nursing career, my north star was – how can I make a difference for not only the patient, but their family and caregivers. This translated into the variety of roles I had in the system, and when I retired, I wanted to continue making a difference in the community. There are a lot of challenges in the health care system for patients, caregivers and families, and I want to be able to affect change and make these experiences better.  

Q: What is it about St. Joseph’s that inspired you to join the Board of Directors?

A: I never had the opportunity to work at St. Joseph’s in my career, but my roles intersected with the organization at many points, and I always had tremendous respect for the culture of supporting people, the can-do attitude and the focus on the most vulnerable and at-risk. Trust is also very important to me – the trust of the public, staff, patients, and families. I always had a sense that St. Joseph’s was there to live their mission, vision and values every day. Since joining the Quality Committee of the Board in 2016 and being on the Board since 2019, I have witnessed this firsthand. You can feel it; it’s palpable.  

Q: Why do you think governance is important in health care?

A: Governance is critical in health care because the Board is entrusted with making wise decisions. When people hear that, they often think about efficiency, and while that’s important, the public is looking for us to make decisions that support a high-quality experience for the people who seek care with us, no matter who they are. Our community looks to the Board to make decisions that support those who may not have a voice for themselves. My experience on the Board of Directors at St. Joseph’s is that all our directors take that sense of accountability and trust very seriously. We work very hard to ensure we don’t erode it – that we pay attention to it.

Q: What is St. Joseph’s greatest strength?

A: I truly believe our greatest strength is our people and our culture. From the Board down to all levels, we intentionally pay attention to our people and how we can encourage and support them. The culture is safe and supportive. When I stepped into my role as Chair, I visited all the St. Joseph’s sites, and I saw first-hand how vulnerable people are treated with respect, their opinions are valued, and St. Joseph’s continues to try and enhance the experience. This is shared across the organization.  

Q: What does the legacy of St. Joseph’s mean to you?

A: I recently attended the Mission Leadership course St. Joseph’s offers, and what struck me was that everyone defines spirituality a little bit differently, and to me, spirituality is how you show up in the world. How do we treat others? How do we work tirelessly to make a difference? That is truly the legacy any of us would want to be able to deliver. I also see St. Joseph’s inclusivity dating back to the Sisters when they started our organization. The ideas of inclusive love and loving our neighbours resonate through the culture of St. Joseph’s to this day. 

Q: Outside of health care, what inspires you?

A: I look at my daughters who are incredibly successful, and my grandchildren who are striving to make a difference. They’ve developed into really kind, compassionate humans. They’re very encouraging in how I give back to the community and are an incredible support to me. I see what good people they’ve turned out to be, and that inspires me.  

Q: What is your goal in your time as Board Chair?

A: I want to continue making a difference for the people we serve, the people who work here and our broader community. St. Joseph’s is uniquely positioned to meet the increasing demands of the health care system, but we can’t do it alone. We have strong partnerships we need to continue to nurture, and we can’t lose sight of what’s important to us and our strengths.