The previous chief medical officer faraway from her put up in Alberta has taken a brand new job with B.C.’s public well being management workforce, the westernmost province introduced Wednesday.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who turned the face of Alberta’s public well being response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will work as B.C.’s deputy provincial well being officer on a six-month contract.
“To assist strengthen B.C.’s preparedness and response to current and future public well being emergencies, I’m happy to share new additions to our public well being management workforce on the Workplace of the PHO,” B.C. Provincial Well being Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry wrote in an announcement.
In addition to Hinshaw, B.C. has additionally employed Dr. Andrew Larder on “momentary project” for a number of months. Larder beforehand labored as a medical well being officer for each Fraser and Inside Well being.
“I really feel very lucky to work alongside such gifted and devoted public well being consultants and I do know their experience shall be a fantastic help as we emerge from the pandemic and proceed to handle the numerous public well being challenges dealing with the province,” mentioned Henry.
Hinshaw was changed as Alberta’s high well being official in November. The province’s new premier, Danielle Smith, introduced throughout her first days in workplace that she would take away Hinshaw and recruit a brand new workforce of advisers in public well being who contemplate COVID-19 an endemic illness.
Smith has made it clear that she blames each Hinshaw and Alberta Well being Companies for failing to ship the perfect recommendation and look after Albertans because the hospital system got here near buckling in successive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Numerous the unhealthy selections have been made by Alberta Well being Companies on the premise of unhealthy recommendation from the chief medical officer of well being,” Smith advised reporters on Oct. 22.
Hinshaw had served as Alberta’s chief medical well being officer for greater than three years. She had beforehand labored in public well being since 2010.
WATCH | B.C. well being minister welcomes Dr. Deena Hinshaw to B.C.:
B.C. Well being Minister Adrian Dix mentioned Hinshaw’s “extraordinary” skilled expertise is welcome within the westernmost province, regardless of the circumstances of her departure from her earlier put up as Alberta’s high physician.
Like Henry, Hinshaw turned a well-recognized determine throughout the province by way of a whole bunch of regularly-scheduled COVID-19 updates within the early years of the pandemic.
She was broadly counseled through the early months of the pandemic for a relaxed, measured method, however confronted a sequence of controversies in 2021 — together with an admission with former premier Jason Kenney that the province lifted restrictions too shortly in the summertime and for receiving a bonus value $228,000 that 12 months.
On Wednesday, B.C. Well being Minister Adrian Dix mentioned he was “delighted” to see Hinshaw transfer west and revered the work she did through the top of the pandemic.
“Alberta had its personal challenges which … I used to be capable of observe myself,” he mentioned throughout a information convention.
“However I believe that is an excellent public well being physician, an distinctive chief, somebody who was underneath monumental scrutiny of a sort I do not suppose she would’ve anticipated — or anybody would’ve anticipated. She did an distinctive job,” he continued.
“I can not think about why you would not wish to rent an excellent public well being physician like Dr. Hinshaw.”