After ten years of being CEO for Southern Health-Santé Sud, Kathy McPhail retired from the position at the end of April.

She reflects on her time in the position, noting she remembers when she moved to Portage ten years ago it was in the middle of a snow storm.

McPhail shares some of the highlights from her time in the position include the relationships built with the communities in the region, what the organization accomplished through the merger five years ago, as well as the aboriginal high school and adult internship programs.

"It's run about six years, and now we're beginning to see the fruits of that and we're making hires from those classes."

McPhail notes while she's proud of what the organization has accomplished, there are still some things left undone.

"We still have a growing elderly population and we don't have always the right places to place those folks if they're needing care along that aging continuum. So there's always going to be, for the next number years, work to be done in that area for sure. There's always capital projects that you wish you had been able to get off the ground, you tried hard and all the holes in the Swiss cheese didn't align and for some reasons that project didn't get off the ground. So there's some of those in my backpack as I leave that I wish I had been able to do more for communities in that regard. But there's other accomplishments that I'm very proud of, for instance, Tabor Home will open some time this summer. So that will help with that personal care home bed situation."

She adds another project which still has lots to be done is the work in blurring the service lines between reserve and non-reserve communities. She says they've come a long way, but there is still lots to be done.

Jane Curtis is McPhail's successor as CEO, and McPhail notes she's a great fit for the role. She says Curtis knows the Manitoba health scene really well and brings a broad background of experience with her into the position.