GARY Pooni and Sherry Ogasawara have been named as board members of Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).

Gary Pooni is the president of Brook Pooni Associates and has held planning roles with the Vancouver Port Authority, Brown and Associates Planning Group and the City of Calgary. He chairs the Urban Development Institute liaison and membership committees in New Westminster. Pooni served on the boards of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, the Indo Canadian Friendship Society and the Urban Development Institute. Pooni holds a master’s degree in planning from the University of Calgary.

“Congratulations to PHSA’s new board members,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “Both members have demonstrated strong leadership qualities, ranging from holding positions in the local business community to roles in urban planning and development to better their communities for future generations.”

“From their work in population health and food policy, as well as urban planning and development, they will contribute to the range and variety needed to guide B.C.’s health-care system. We are confident they have the focus and energy to strengthen existing care, and allow it to excel in a cost-efficient and proactive manner,” added Dix.

A health authority board of directors helps ensure that British Columbians receive the best possible care in an efficient, well-managed public health-care system. Boards are responsible for the governance and management of health services in the province. They work with health authority leadership to establish the organization’s overall vision and ensure there is appropriate community consultation. Boards also regularly review the organization’s long-term plans, look at significant issues affecting the organization and evaluate results.