![['Susan Gillam, chief executive officer, Western Regional Health Authority is shown in this file photo.']](https://saltwire.imgix.net/susan-gillam-2461267.jpg?cs=srgb&fit=crop&h=568&w=847&dpr=1&auto=compress%2Cformat%2Cenhance)
She is still in the position, but it seems just a matter of time before Susan Gillam leaves the position of Western Health’s chief executive officer.
Gillam declined a request for an interview Friday, but The Western Star has learned Gillam will be leaving the job she has held since the summer of 2001.
Western Health would not make any comment about Gillam’s employment status, but did confirm the provincial government’s Independent Appointments Commission has been recruiting for a chief executive officer for Western Health since October 2017.
The health authority’s board chairperson, Bryson Webb, said any news regarding Gillam would have to come from her directly.
The Independent Appointments Commission falls under the province’s Public Service Commission, which is under the Department of Finance portfolio.
The Western Star requested an interview with the Department of Finance about the Western Health CEO search process, but it was not granted. In an email, the department said the minister is following the appropriate hiring process
The Independent Appointments Commission, which was established in 2016, now requires public bodies such as health authorities to go through a hiring exercise when contracts, such as that of a chief executive, officer expire.
While Gillam would be eligible to re-apply for the job she has held for nearly 17 years, a source said she has declined to do so and her contract has been renewed on a temporary basis as the CEO search unfolds.
Western Health is western Newfoundland's largest employer.
