Farewell and Thank you to Tracey MacArthur

Since September 2021, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has benefited greatly from the leadership of Interim President and CEO, Tracey MacArthur. Having been part of the Executive Leadership Team at CAMH for a decade, Tracey brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role. When her term as President and CEO comes to a close on September 6^th, 2022, Tracey will be leaving CAMH to pursue new challenges.

Tracey most recently served as Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer at CAMH. Prior to this, she held various leadership positions at CAMH, including in the areas of information management, performance improvement, and privacy. Before her time with CAMH, Tracey held several senior leadership positions at the University Health Network. In total, her experience working in academic healthcare spans more than 25 years.

Tracey’s Presidency at CAMH was fraught with challenges; the past year has seen intense new waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, each accompanied by unique obstacles. Despite these challenges, CAMH was successful in delivering over 160,000 patient days’ worth of quality care to people in inpatient services, and over 32,000 unique people in outpatient services. CAMH also achieved some of its best outcomes on quality indicators, for example, a historically low 7-day readmission rate. All of this was accomplished while managing pandemic restrictions, budget challenges, and staffing pressures.

Reflecting on this time, Tracey explains, “What was most rewarding was how a team of people came together and were supportive of each other in a practical and personal way.” In a time where so many people felt alone, Tracey describes feeling a great sense of community at CAMH throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

During her term, Tracey also served as co-chair of TDRA’s Executive Committee, where she provided guidance on major strategic decisions and long-term sustainability. Her presence and support will be missed at our Executive Table. Wherever Tracey lands next will stand to benefit from her intellect, experience, and exemplary leadership.

In her future endeavors, Tracey will continue being an advocate for mental health. She explains, “Mental health and addictions are part of so many people’s lives, when you look for it, it’s almost always there.” Tracey will also take with her a more holistic perspective of health, stating, “It is important to treat people, not illnesses.” As Tracey prepares to move on from her accomplished time at CAMH, she leaves this message, “I hope that people remember to support each other.”

Thank you Tracey, for everything you have done for CAMH and TDRA. We look forward to following your continued successes.