The Health Authority of Anguilla took two days on Monday and Tuesday, June 4 and 5, to formally introduce and welcome its newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Maeza Demis-Adams. Meeting at the conference room of the Church of God (Holiness), the staff at all the health facilities turned out in large numbers to express their support for the first Anguillian to hold the appointment since the inception of the Health Authority in 2004.
Small in stature, but a giant in training, with lifelong learning and experience, Mrs. Demis-Adams took up the significant and highly-demanding post on June 1, 2018.
Board Member of the Health Authority, Dr Brett Hodge, a private Medical Practitioner and Obstetrician, gave the formal welcome. He said in part: “It gives me great pleasure to introduce Mrs. Demis-Adams. She is a young, enthusiastic and very qualified Anguillian in whom the Board has full confidence that she will take this organisation to a higher level. It is important that all staff members, whether you are at the hospital [or] primary healthcare, give her your full support because she cannot do it alone. I would like to stress teamwork in this organisation. You cannot continue to do things as usual. You have to instil certain disciplines, and one of the things the Board is keen on improving is teamwork among all staff members. Each of you has a role to play in improving the health of Anguilla. Members of the community depend on all of us to do our best to be excellent at whatever we do. The health of this nation rests in our hands.”
Mr. Kevin Carty, a Member of the Board and an Advisor to the Health Authority, described Mrs. Demis-Adams’ appointment as “a changing of the guard with a new beginning, new opportunities and a new way forward.”
He stressed that in any progressive society health must be a priority, and he observed that at the staff meeting were some very gifted and qualified professionals. “We do good work at the Health Authority. A lot of times we hear about mishaps, but we do great work,” he went on. “I know we work miracles there sometimes, and I know we all should be proud of the jobs we do, but we have challenges and things we could do better.
“Mrs. Demis-Adams is highly qualified, very experienced and very passionate about health, and is as close to perfect in this position as CEO as you can get, but she cannot do it alone. She will need the support of each us…We have the right CEO and a great team. Let us, as a unit, throw our full support behind Mrs. Demis-Adams and make the Health Authority everything it should be.”
Mrs. Meridith Gumbs, Director of Human Resources, said that during the recruitment process a number of applicants were interviewed to fill the position of CEO. She pointed out that the fact that Mrs. Demis-Adams was appointed to the post spoke volumes about her and her perceived ability to lead the Health Authority. She stated that the leadership of the new appointee had come at a time when the Health Authority was functioning under less than ideal conditions following the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma on the primary and secondary levels of the health services.
“In order to develop the healthcare system, and provide the standard of care expected of us, we must now embrace and support Mrs. Demis-Adams,” Mrs. Gumbs continued. “I believe she will be committed and focussed on enhancing a collaborative life-style, and empowering all staff to continue to build the Health Authority to achieve its vision as the first choice for healthcare through dedication to excellence. I believe this is possible under Mrs. Demis-Adams’ leadership. Based on her education and experience she would be equipped with an understanding of the critical nature of healthcare and what it involves.”
Mrs. Gumbs noted, among other matters, that Mrs. Demis-Adams was previously employed in the Anguilla Public Service where she spent eleven years working in various roles across the Health System. In her last role, as Health Planner, she was responsible for formulating national health policies, programmes and strategies and coordinating national health projects. Mrs. Gumbs further stated that Mrs. Demis-Adams “worked as a Nurse in the Dialysis Unit and that her appointment to the post of CEO has allowed her to feel as if she is returning home.”
Mrs. Demis-Adams, who previously worked in New York before returning to Anguillla in 2007, as a licenced Nurse, said her yearning to make a difference in health came from a very personal family experience that made her the person she is today. “My stature might be small but the motivation and the need to make a difference have no bounds,” she declared. “My goal is to make a positive difference in the health status and the lives of Anguillians and other persons residing on the island.”
She told her colleagues: “This organisation has been around for fourteen years. I think we had too many leadership changes and I think you are frustrated. I hear you and I was in your position. This new CEO vow to do my best, to listen, to support all efforts made to improve the organisation. By improving the organisation we are improving the lives of fellow Anguillians, and I think is the ultimate goal – to improve the lives of persons who reside in Anguilla. I think ultimately that is your goal also, so how can we work together to do this is what I want to hear from you.”
Mrs. Demis-Adams attracted a great deal of positive feedback during the staff meeting, with all persons pledging their support and commending her on her appointment.
The new CEO of the Health Authority graduated from Long Island University in New York in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, and in 2012 earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health – with an emphasis on Health Services Management – from the University of London. She is committed to lifelong learning and, as a result, has pursued at least two professional development courses annually.
