Wikipedia

Shared Health

Shared Health is Manitoba’s province-wide health organization responsible for clinical and preventive services planning and for coordinating specialized health services. It was created in 2017 to integrate certain province-wide functions previously managed by regional health authorities. Shared Health operates tertiary programs at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg (HSC) and leads planning under the Health System Governance and Accountability Act.[4][5]

Shared Health
Formation2017 (operational); statutory framework 2021
TypeProvincial health organization
Legal statusCrown agency
PurposeProvince-wide clinical services planning and delivery; centralized health system support functions
HeadquartersWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Region served
Manitoba
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Chris Christodoulou (interim; 2025–present)[1][2]
Main organ
Board of Directors
Parent organization
Government of Manitoba
BudgetC$2.09 billion (expenses, 2023–24)[3]
Websitesharedhealthmb.ca

Background

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Manitoba introduced regional health authorities (RHAs) in the 1990s to decentralize service delivery. By 2012 the number of RHAs was reduced from eleven to five, a move the provincial government said would cut costs and streamline administration.[6]

Shared Health was established in 2017 as part of a restructuring to centralize certain functions across RHAs, including diagnostics and specialty care. Its mandate was formalized in 2021 legislation that set out governance and accountability provisions. The province appointed the first permanent board of directors for Shared Health in March 2022, chaired by Dr. Brenna Shearer; in February 2024 Dr. Brian Postl was named chair, with Shearer remaining on the board.[7][8][9]

Mandate and governance

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Shared Health is responsible for provincial clinical planning, quaternary programs, and coordination of diagnostics and digital health. Regional authorities continue to deliver local care, while CancerCare Manitoba operates as a partner organization.[10]

The organization is overseen by a provincially appointed board. Membership has included representatives from Indigenous organizations, rural and northern communities, and clinical leadership backgrounds. Independent audits in 2025 highlighted governance and budgeting challenges and led to leadership changes.[11]

Service delivery

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Shared Health is responsible for planning and coordinating province-wide clinical and preventive services, including tertiary-level care delivered at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg.[12]

It also coordinates province-wide diagnostic services. In 2019, Diagnostic Services Manitoba was integrated into Shared Health, centralizing laboratory, diagnostic imaging, and related services under a single provincial authority.[13]Emergency medical services; including the Lifeflight air ambulance program are administered under Shared Health, with STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) contracted to assist with fixed and rotary-wing critical care transport.[14]

Planning and data

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In 2020, Manitoba released the Clinical and Preventive Services Plan (CPSP), a five-year province-wide blueprint developed with extensive clinician and stakeholder input to enhance equitable access, care consistency, and resource alignment. The CPSP established provincial specialty councils and clinical leadership groups to support its implementation across diverse regions.[15][16]

Shared Health also manages Manitoba’s digital health infrastructure. The eChart Manitoba system provides healthcare providers with secure, province-wide access to laboratory results, medication histories, immunization records, and diagnostic imaging, consolidating data from disparate systems for timely and integrated care.[17]

In 2025, Shared Health introduced a framework for collecting race, ethnicity, and Indigenous identity data. The change followed reports showing that Black and Indigenous patients in Winnipeg emergency departments faced significantly longer wait times than other groups, underscoring systemic inequities in access and outcomes.[18][19]

COVID-19 response

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During the third wave of COVID-19 in spring 2021, Shared Health coordinated expanded ICU capacity in Winnipeg and Brandon. Critically ill patients were transferred to Ontario and Saskatchewan when local resources were exhausted.[20]

Independent audits commissioned by the Manitoba government in 2024 noted that while Shared Health’s centralized governance enabled more consistent, province-wide resource coordination during the pandemic response, communication misalignments between central leadership and regional delivery organizations hindered timely local responsiveness.[21]

Leadership

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Shared Health has had several interim and permanent executives. In February 2025, Dr. Chris Christodoulou was appointed interim CEO, replacing Lanette Siragusa, as part of a broader leadership change across provincial health agencies.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Leadership changes made at top Manitoba health orgs". Canadian Healthcare Technology. February 12, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  2. ^ "Health leadership shakeup sees new CEOs at Shared Health and WRHA". CityNews Winnipeg. February 5, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  3. ^ "Shared Health Annual Report 2023/24" (PDF). Shared Health. June 11, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  4. ^ "The Health System Governance and Accountability Act, C.C.S.M. c. H26.5". CanLII. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  5. ^ "President's Update on Shared Health". Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "Manitoba Completes Merger of 11 Regional Health Authorities". ChrisD.ca. May 30, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  7. ^ "Shared Health CEO resigns". Winnipeg Free Press. April 27, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  8. ^ "Manitoba appoints new Shared Health board chair, members to tackle healthcare challenges". Global News. February 6, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  9. ^ "Shared Health welcomes new Board of Directors". Shared Health. March 24, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  10. ^ Martin, Riley (June 28, 2017). "Province announces new organizational structure to Manitoba health services". Global News. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  11. ^ "Manitoba Government Releases Independent Audits of Health-Care System". Government of Manitoba. February 5, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  12. ^ Global News, Staff (March 6, 2019). "New plan represents fundamental change to Manitoba health care". Global News. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  13. ^ Martin, Riley (June 28, 2017). "Province announces new organizational structure to Manitoba health services". Global News. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  14. ^ Global News, Kevin Hirschfield (September 10, 2020). "STARS expanding service in Manitoba, taking over for Lifeflight". Global News. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  15. ^ CancerCare Manitoba. "Investing in "Better Care, Closer to Home" through Clinical and Preventive Services Plan" (PDF). CancerCare Manitoba. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  16. ^ Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. "Clinical & Preventive Services Plan: Investing in Better Care, Closer to Home". Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (summary). Retrieved August 28, 2025. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  17. ^ "Auditor General releases report on eChart". Office of the Auditor General of Manitoba. October 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  18. ^ "Indigenous, Black patients waiting longer to be seen in Winnipeg ERs: report". Global News. June 17, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  19. ^ "AMC responds to Shared Health's release of race and identity-based data". Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. June 20, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  20. ^ "Manitoba transfers 3 COVID-19 ICU patients to Ontario due to 'extreme strain' on resources". Global News. May 19, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  21. ^ Staff, QCountryFM (February 2025). "Audits find disconnect between health leadership decisions and government cultural goals". QCountryFM. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
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