Blake Ellis/Local Journalism Initiative

Paula Reaume-Zimmer will be in the next leader at Bluewater Health. She will replace Mike Lapaine as president and CEO Jan. 1. He is retiring at the end of the year. Bluewater Health made the announcement on Oct. 3
“I am extremely excited, but I am not excited to not have Mike in the next office to me,” said Reaume-Zimmer. She called Lapaine an incredible mentor to her who pushes her to be better.
Her key priorities are to deal with the daily challenges of capacity, as staff moves patients through the hospitals. The pandemic has resulted in some trying years, and she acknowledged it has taken its toll. Reaume-Zimmer hopes to create some new excitement within the organization.
Reaume-Zimmer said it is too soon to tell, whether she will be giving up her other roles within Bluewater Health. She is currently in the dual role of the Vice President of Integrated Services at Bluewater Health and the Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton Kent. She is also the CEO of Lambton Elderly Outreach.
She’s been heading up the start up of the county’s withdrawal management program which has taken over a decade of local lobbying to get the province to fund the facility.
Reaume-Zimmer began her career as an inpatient psychiatric nurse, and she held various roles in the mental health and addiction services sector and has also been a leader within the emergency department.
She earned her Doctorate in Health Administration from Central Michigan University and she also studied at the University of Toronto’s Rotman Advanced Health Leadership Program.
Lapaine informed the board earlier this summer he would be retiring. A select committee of the board identified and vetted Reaume-Zimmer through an internal search of the organization. She was unanimously approved by thee board at its meeting last week.
He is confident in Reaume-Zimmer to continue on in the role. Lapaine has been the President and CEO since 2016.