The president and chief executive officer of Santé Québec, Geneviève Biron, spent two days in the Laurentides region earlier this month meeting frontline workers, administrators and local partners as part of a broader provincial outreach initiative.
The visit, held February 4 and 5, formed part of Santé Québec’s ongoing regional tour aimed at strengthening dialogue between provincial leadership and healthcare teams across Quebec. Biron was accompanied by members of her executive team and local officials from the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux, CISSS, des Laurentides.
Listening to the field
Over the course of the visit, the delegation stopped at several healthcare facilities across the region, including Hôpital de Mont-Laurier, the Centres multiservices de santé et de services sociaux in Rivière-Rouge, Sainte-Agathe and Argenteuil, as well as Hôpital de Saint-Jérôme and Hôpital de Saint-Eustache.
According to Santé Québec, the objective was to engage directly with healthcare professionals and better understand operational realities on the ground. Discussions focused on daily challenges facing medical and support teams, as well as opportunities to improve service delivery in a region characterized by geographic spread and varied community needs.
Since the establishment of Santé Québec, Biron and members of her executive team have made several visits to the Laurentides. The current tour reinforces what officials describe as an effort to maintain close ties with regional networks and ensure that provincial decisions reflect local realities.
Biron emphasized during the visit that strengthening communication between provincial leadership and regional teams is essential to responding effectively to population needs. Health authorities say ongoing exchanges with staff allow both the sharing of best practices and the identification of systemic issues requiring attention.
Regional collaboration
Benoît Major, associate president and chief executive officer of CISSS des Laurentides, highlighted the collaborative framework between the regional network and Santé Québec. He noted that the CISSS is fully integrated within the provincial structure and works daily with the central leadership team to address challenges and improve care delivery.
Officials indicated that such visits serve not only to resolve operational concerns but also to highlight successful initiatives that could be replicated elsewhere in Quebec.
The Laurentides stop followed a similar visit to the Outaouais region. Santé Québec confirmed that the provincial tour will continue in the coming weeks, with the Capitale-Nationale region scheduled as the next destination.
The regional tour, described internally as “À l’écoute du terrain,” is intended to provide senior leadership with direct exposure to frontline realities as Quebec’s public health system continues to evolve under the Santé Québec governance structure.
