2006
Health and Community Services
Patricia Clark, Stead Crawford, Mary Ellen Dunphy, Wayne Gray, Valerie Gregory, Paul Hanlon, Wanda Legge, Tony Maher, Marguerite Mullins, Keith Sheppard, Colleen Stockley
In March 2006, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced the introduction of a Low Income Drug Program. Implementation of this program required a large-scale collaborative effort – collaboration across departments, governments and public/private boundaries. This exceptional effort by 11 individuals from three departments proved to be nothing short of inspirational.
The program is designed to assist a vulnerable population obtain medications needed to maintain and improve their health. In order to achieve this objective, the core team came together virtually every week to brainstorm, problem solve, plan, develop, manage, identify, mitigate, communicate, consult, hire, train and deploy, resulting in the launch of the Low Income Drug Program in early 2007. Each team member accepted the challenge and leveraged their new collaborative relationship to their best advantage. Within 10 months, the team coordinated and realized an important objective which has the potential to affect approximately 85,000 individuals when full program enrollment is achieved.
The team worked on broader policies and processes of the existing Provincial Drug Program and streamlined its administrative processes for its beneficiaries. Furthermore, they analyzed and proposed new policies to improve transparency, equity, fairness and fiscal responsibility. The perseverance, determination, commitment and firm belief in the importance of this initiative inspired the work of the team. During consultations stakeholders were quick to note the importance of the undertaking and the benefits for the group whom it targeted.
The cooperation and collaboration of organizations in the broader public service and with external partners was also critical to completing the project on schedule. The team was successful in extending their sense of purpose and commitment to these entities, thereby soliciting from each party the necessary approval, work or outcome which enabled the project to proceed. The team has displayed tenacity in advancing the ideal of creating a valuable program, creativity in designing a program that respects needs as well as resources, and a dedication to hard work that fosters innovation.
The Low Income Drug Implementation Team has demonstrated by example that public service is not about preserving the status quo, but challenging the issues in society that impede human progress. This team was united in their sense of public service and strong belief in the benefit of this new program. Operating as a cohesive team, coupled with leadership, innovative and progressive thinking and a strong commitment to a goal, they truly embody the spirit that is alive and well within the public service of our province.