logo
Need for permanent chief medical officer of health 'dire,' says Alberta Medical Association

Need for permanent chief medical officer of health 'dire,' says Alberta Medical Association

CBC03-05-2025

Alberta's health minister says the search for a permanent chief medical medical officer of health is in the early stages, prompting concerns about health leadership as the province continues to battle its worst measles outbreak in nearly three decades.
The total number of confirmed cases since the outbreaks began in March surged to 210 on Friday. That's the highest case count since 1997, when 242 cases were reported.
The escalating case numbers come at a time when the province is without a permanent top doctor.
The provincial government appointed an interim chief medical officer of health after Dr. Mark Joffe opted not to renew his contract in mid-April. He had been in the role since November 2022.
Joffe left as calls grew for him to take to the podium and speak directly to Albertans about the measles outbreaks. At the time, doctors raised concerns about whether he was allowed to speak publicly on the matter.
The province has not yet found a permanent replacement.
"I think the need to get someone who has expertise in the role is dire," said Dr. Shelley Duggan, president of the Alberta Medical Association.
"It could be tricky. But I think it's important. There's lots of people trained in public health. We need to get somebody in Alberta. And we need to let them develop a campaign and work with their team to get the messaging out."
When asked by CBC News about the search for a replacement, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange did not say how much interest there is in the job. Nor did she say how many candidates have been interviewed.
"We're at the initial stages of the search," she said at a news conference on Thursday.
"We were quite hopeful that Dr. Joffe would have extended his contract. Since that hasn't happened, we are just at the initial stages of the search. And I'll keep you posted as we go along this road."
When it comes to concerns about how the province will handle its surging measles cases without a permanent CMOH in place, she said she's confident in the work of the public health teams.
"It's the local [medical officers of health] that are in the communities, that are on the ground working with those communities, that are most affected. They report up to the CMOH. So there's obviously a lot of interaction that happens."
LaGrange said measles immunizations have increased this year compared to last year due to the work of those teams.
When asked if she ever refused to greenlight any requests Joffe made about how to handle the measles outbreak, LaGrange did not answer directly, noting instead that she had many conversations with him about how to reach impacted communities.
"There are hot spots, but we do not have a provincial outbreak of measles," she said when pressed further.
Recruitment in question
"Recruitment and retention of qualified public health leaders and health leaders, in general in this province, has become increasingly difficult," said Lorian Hardcastle, associate professor in the faculty of law and the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
She said concerns about politicization of public health could be a deterrent.
"And given the revolving door of public health officials — of [Alberta Health Services] CEOs, of the AHS board — I think it's going to be difficult to recruit and retain qualified people to these kinds of roles in this province."
It's problematic, she said, to be facing measles outbreaks with people moving in and out of the job.
"You don't want to have those transitions in the context of a public health crisis. You want consistent, clear messaging from the same trusted authority. And I don't think they're positioned to do that."
The Alberta NDP said it, too, is skeptical about Alberta's ability to recruit a new top doctor.
"[Premier Danielle Smith] ran a leadership campaign showing disrespect to science, to public health, to experts, and it continues. And now she's got control over that office and it's caused a lot of chaos," said NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman, adding she's not surprised a permanent replacement is not in place.
"It is concerning because there should be separation between those who are in charge of gathering evidence and those who are in controlling political messaging."
Changes coming about through the UCP government's health system overall could be a further deterrent, according to Hoffman.
Bill 55, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, was tabled on Thursday. If passed, zone medical officers of health who are now part of Alberta Health Services will move to Alberta Health.
The plan has sparked concern about the consolidation of decision-making power — for matters relating to the health of Albertans — within the ministry.
"It is really important that we have experts that are entrusted to give their very best advice and direction. And when you're within the department, you don't have that same independence," said Hoffman.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

AHS lawsuit: Mentzelopoulos seeks expedited ruling on the legality of her firing
AHS lawsuit: Mentzelopoulos seeks expedited ruling on the legality of her firing

Calgary Herald

time4 hours ago

  • Calgary Herald

AHS lawsuit: Mentzelopoulos seeks expedited ruling on the legality of her firing

The former head of Alberta Health Services (AHS) is seeking to expedite her wrongful dismissal lawsuit by asking a judge to focus on the legality of how she was fired, a move that would keep the case from going to trial if granted. Article content Athana Mentzelopoulos is suing AHS and the provincial government for wrongful dismissal and seeking $1.7 million in damages. Article content Article content On Monday, lawyers for Mentzelopoulos filed an application for summary judgment in Court of King's Bench in Edmonton, alleging that Health Minister Adriana LaGrange orchestrated her Jan. 8 firing by then-deputy minister of health and AHS board member Andre Tremblay, but that both lacked the authority to do so. Article content Article content 'Only the AHS Board or the executive chair (or) chair had the authority to terminate her employment,' the application states, citing Mentzelopoulos' employment agreement with AHS. Article content Article content 'Her employment was improperly terminated by Mr. Tremblay acting without AHS authority and solely on the order of Minister LaGrange.' Article content The application seeks to narrow the focus of the legal proceedings to if the employment agreement was properly followed when Mentzelopoulos was fired, and is next scheduled to be before a judge on July 15. In the court documents, Mentzelopoulos newly alleges she was not invited to a Jan. 7 AHS board meeting organized by LaGrange, and that her exclusion led her to believe the meeting was called to have the board terminate her employment. Article content Mentzelopoulos claims she learned that LaGrange was unable to convince enough board members at that meeting to fire her, and that the minister told the board she would, 'have Andre do it.' Article content Article content 'Having failed in her attempt to cause AHS to terminate Mentzelopoulos, Minister LaGrange took it upon herself to do so, making the unilateral decision to require Mr. Tremblay to purport to terminate Mentzelopoulos, even though both he and she knew that he had no authority to do so,' the application reads. Article content It states at least three board members, including former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Lyle Oberg, would support Mentzelopoulos's claims. Article content All board members were dismissed on Jan. 31, and Tremblay was announced as the official administrator of AHS. The organization has since seen its scope reduced as part of the government's restructuring of the health care system.

Smoke free summers a thing of the past as Alberta gets hit with wildfire smoke from all sides
Smoke free summers a thing of the past as Alberta gets hit with wildfire smoke from all sides

Calgary Herald

timea day ago

  • Calgary Herald

Smoke free summers a thing of the past as Alberta gets hit with wildfire smoke from all sides

Wildfires burning across western Canada are having a major impact on the air quality in most of Alberta. Article content Article content Article content Smoke from wildfires burning in British Columbia, northern Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are cumulatively worsening the air quality across municipalities in the province and experts are saying smoke-free summers are becoming a thing of the past. Article content Article content Article content Environment Canada's air quality health index (AQHI) is forecasting Edmonton will jump from a 9 out of 10 on Monday to a 10 on Tuesday. Article content Article content Article content Postmedia spoke with two experts in public health and medicine to discuss how Albertans can protect against the smoke, health risks and why does Alberta get so much smoke. Article content Low snow pack, warm and dry weather, and lack of precipitation are pointing to an unfavourable fire season for western Canada — specifically Alberta, says Jeff Brook, an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Article content Article content Brook said while there's smoke every summer, it is often just above the ground at low levels. However over the past 10 years, he said, researchers are seeing cases where smoke conditions are becoming progressively worse. Article content Article content Article content 'We generally think that the smoke particles are as harmful when we inhale them as regular pollution, and we need to treat them that way,' Brook said. Article content Article content Alberta getting more smoke in recent weeks is in part due to 'luck of the draw' and paired with weather patterns over multiple days as wildfires continue to burn, according to Brook. Article content Article content The reason why Edmonton might get more smoke is due to its proximity to the boreal forest regions, which are often very susceptible to fires. Article content Brook said smoke particles can endure quite readily even when indoors — half of what is outside will get inside. Article content Article content One of the best ways to protect against smoke particles, especially the smaller ones, is by using an air purifier. He said purchasing one is extremely effective, but for those who want to make one at home using a high quality furnace filter, box fan and card board would also be efficient.

Smoke free summers a thing of the past as Alberta gets hit with wildfire smoke from all sides
Smoke free summers a thing of the past as Alberta gets hit with wildfire smoke from all sides

Edmonton Journal

timea day ago

  • Edmonton Journal

Smoke free summers a thing of the past as Alberta gets hit with wildfire smoke from all sides

Article content Wildfires burning across western Canada are having a major impact on the air quality in most of Alberta. Smoke from wildfires burning in British Columbia, northern Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are cumulatively worsening the air quality across municipalities in the province and experts are saying smoke-free summers are becoming a thing of the past. Article content Environment Canada's air quality health index (AQHI) is forecasting Edmonton will jump from a 9 out of 10 on Monday to a 10 on Tuesday. Postmedia spoke with two experts in public health and medicine to discuss how Albertans can protect against the smoke, health risks and why does Alberta get so much smoke. Why does Alberta get so much smoke during wildfire season and is it getting worse? Low snow pack, warm and dry weather, and lack of precipitation are pointing to an unfavourable fire season for western Canada — specifically Alberta, says Jeff Brook, an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Brook said while there's smoke every summer, it is often just above the ground at low levels. However over the past 10 years, he said, researchers are seeing cases where smoke conditions are becoming progressively worse. Article content 'We generally think that the smoke particles are as harmful when we inhale them as regular pollution, and we need to treat them that way,' Brook said. Alberta getting more smoke in recent weeks is in part due to 'luck of the draw' and paired with weather patterns over multiple days as wildfires continue to burn, according to Brook. The reason why Edmonton might get more smoke is due to its proximity to the boreal forest regions, which are often very susceptible to fires. How do you keep your home smoke free and protect against it? Brook said smoke particles can endure quite readily even when indoors — half of what is outside will get inside. One of the best ways to protect against smoke particles, especially the smaller ones, is by using an air purifier. He said purchasing one is extremely effective, but for those who want to make one at home using a high quality furnace filter, box fan and card board would also be efficient. Article content Dr. Anne Hicks, an associate professor in pediatric respiratory medicine at the University of Alberta, said the only way to protect against wildfire smoke is to avoid breathing as much in as possible. She said surgical masks are a good option to filter out the larger smoke particles, but masks like N95, which are often used by health-care professionals, will filter between 95 to 99 per cent of particles. 'I can still smell smoke through my N95 masks, so those very small particles that get absorbed directly into your bloodstream are still passing through that mask. You can still exercise effectively in those masks, they feel kind of hot and sweaty and claustrophobic, but you have good oxygen coming in and waste gas going out, so they're a nice compromise,' Hicks said. What are the health risks associated with smoke? Hicks said in the short term, everybody will have a little irritation due to smoke whether it's in the eyes or nose, and the larger particles that settle into the throat may cause coughing, the health risks will likely be invisible for many people. Article content But for those with heart and lung disease, they might feel symptoms earlier on. Hicks added there's an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes when there are heavy smoke periods for older adults. Those with a respiratory infection are also at an increased risk of needing an emergency-room visit or hospitalization, as are people in high-risk groups such as infants, young children, seniors and those who have high outdoor exposure. 'If you can smell (the smoke), it's getting soaked into your body in some form or another. So in those cases you worry about asthma attacks or COPD attacks,' Hicks said. Brook said those who have a respiratory condition like asthma should ensure they are constantly carrying a puffer for when they feel exacerbations, just in case. Latest National Stories

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store