Health care leaders recognised by top Victorian business awards
18 Oct 2011
The achievements of a former nurse who leads the State’s largest public health service were recognised when Shelly Park was named 2011 Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year today.
Ms Park, Chief Executive of Southern Health since 2006, runs an organisation providing health services to 900,000 people in the cities of Cardinia, Casey, Greater Dandenong, Kingston and Monash. Southern Health also provides specialist services to an additional 300,000 people in a rural catchment including Gippsland.
Southern Health has 13,400 staff, an annual turnover of $1.26 billion and its major hospitals treated about 177,000 patients, performed 40,365 operations and delivered almost 9000 babies in 2009-10.
The former nurse who progressed into senior management with a reputation for delivering strongly-performing health services also won the White Pages Community and Government Award at the 17th Telstra Business Women’s Awards in Melbourne.
Under Ms Park’s leadership, care funding for Southern Health has increased by 44 per cent, allowing one third more patients to be treated and 54 per cent more emergency patients to be seen. The average hospital stay for patients has shortened by 14 per cent.
She has also overseen improvements in mental health care, increasing post-discharge contacts and reducing re-admission rates.
Ms Park said: “Health workers enter a very privileged place in peoples’ lives and have the absolute responsibility to deliver high quality care, often during times of adversity.”
Kate McKenzie, Telstra Group Managing Director for Innovation, Products and Marketing and Telstra Business Women’s Awards Ambassador, said: “Telstra established the Awards program in 1995 to celebrate the success of inspirational business women and provide motivation for others.
“The Awards judges described Shelly Park as a charismatic and experienced leader responsible for a large and complex multi-site health network. She has focused on cultural change and linking business performance and outcomes with the health needs of the community,” she said.
Michelle Sherwood, Executive General Manager Strategic Marketing at Sensis Pty Ltd, which sponsored the White Pages Community and Government Award, said: “White Pages® is proud to be associated with an awards program that recognises the significant achievements of women, especially women who work in the Community and Government sector.
“Shelly Park is an inspirational role model for every woman who aspires to be the best in their profession,” she said.
Women who lead healthcare services dominated the Awards this year with other winners including Kylie El-Sheikh, CEO and co-owner of regional medical centres business Tristar Medical Group, Margie Hepner, former CEO of Stanhope Healthcare Services, and Marnie Tewksbury, director of CareChoice (AUST) Pty Ltd.
The Victorian winners proceed to the national finals of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards that will be announced in Melbourne on 18 November.
Winners of the 2011 Telstra Victorian Business Women’s Awards are:
Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year
Shelly Park Southern Health, Clayton
Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award
Kylie El-Sheikh Tristar Medical Group, Mildura
Kylie El-Sheikh is CEO and co-owner of Mildura-headquartered Tristar Medical Group which was established in 2003 and now operates 29 medical centres in Victorian and NSW towns. The business matches doctors to communities by supplying career opportunities and the necessary infrastructure and support to run a successful medical practice. A former hospitality services and human resources manager in Egypt and the UK, Ms El-Sheik said her objective in setting up her business was improving access to quality, affordable and accessible multi disciplinary health care. Tristar has created 230 jobs, 80 of them for doctors.
Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award
Margie Hepner Stanhope Healthcare Services, Ashburton
A former nurse and midwife who moved into healthcare management, Margie Hepner used her experience to lead Stanhope Healthcare Services which has 1200 nurses, personal care attendants, home care workers and administration staff across six states. As former CEO of Stanhope, Ms Hepner led the delivery of more than one million hours of in-home care a year to more than 8000 Australians. She transformed the organisation into a leading home health care provider, improving efficiencies, reducing costs and turning financial losses into positive returns with turnover in excess of $50 million.
White Pages Community & Government Award
Shelly Park Southern Health, Clayton
Nokia Business Innovation Award
Jane Hunt Fitted for Work, Melbourne
As CEO of Fitted for Work, Jane Hunt provides services that help disadvantaged women secure and retain employment. Addressing self-esteem issues that Ms Hunt felt were overlooked by mainstream job services, Fitted for Work provides women with job interview skills and dresses them professionally in high-quality second-hand clothing – so far Fitted for Work has dressed 6500 women. Fitted for Work also provides transition to work programs, work experience and mentoring programs. Ms Hunt said Fitted for Work’s main difference is that it treats women as customers not welfare recipients.
marie claire Young Business Women’s Award
Marnie Tewksbury CareChoice (AUST) Pty Ltd, Clayton
Marnie Tewksbury, 33, is director and client services manager for CareChoice (AUST), a business that supplies carers for aged people and people with disabilities. Experience as a social worker led her to create CareChoice in 2007 with business partner Brigitte Rahhali. Ms Tewksbury said she was driven by a desire to run an organisation that understood client needs and provided vulnerable people with responsive, professional and personalised service. CareChoice employs about 300 carers, providing care either directly to people at home or through relief staffing for aged and disability care organisations.
More information on the Telstra Business Women’s Awards can be found at
www.telstrabusinesswomensawards.com
Media number:
Marcela Balart | 0422 483 371 | Lighthouse Communications Group
James Woollard | 0419 130 588 | Telstra
www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/
Reference: 317/2011
Download press release
Telstra Business Women's Awards Network