Latest news with #SylviaWeir
CTV News
3 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Interior Health CEO is out over closure of Kelowna, B.C., pediatric unit
A treatment room in the emergency department at Peter Lougheed hospital is pictured in, Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press) KELOWNA — The head of British Columbia's Interior Health authority is stepping aside six months early over staff shortages that forced the closure of Kelowna General Hospital's dedicated pediatric unit. The authority says the end of president and CEO Susan Brown's tenure is among 'key actions' taken by the board of directors and other leaders to reopen the pediatric department as soon as possible. Interior Health also says in a statement Friday that four new doctors have signed on to the pediatric department, although it still lacks enough staff to safely reopen the unit, which has been shut since May 26. The health authority says Brown will now focus on supporting the organization ahead of her pending retirement that was announced last spring. Interior Health had said at the time that Brown would stay on as CEO until the end of this year. Chief financial officer Sylvia Weir has been named interim president and CEO. The closure of Kelowna's pediatric ward is part of ongoing hospital staffing shortages that have caused rolling closures of emergency rooms across B.C. The authority has said the closure could last until July 4. The Kelowna hospital 'remains equipped to support any children requiring emergency care although pediatric in-patients will not be admitted at this time,' the Interior Health statement on Friday said. 'In the meantime, we extend gratitude to the pediatricians providing on-call coverage to the emergency department and we thank everyone working at the emergency department for their efforts during this challenging time. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Interior Health CEO is out over closure of Kelowna, B.C., pediatric unit
KELOWNA — The head of British Columbia's Interior Health authority is stepping aside six months early over staff shortages that forced the closure of Kelowna General Hospital's dedicated pediatric unit. The authority says the end of president and CEO Susan Brown's tenure is among "key actions" taken by the board of directors and other leaders to reopen the pediatric department as soon as possible. Interior Health also says in a statement Friday that four new doctors have signed on to the pediatric department, although it still lacks enough staff to safely reopen the unit, which has been shut since May 26. The health authority says Brown will now focus on supporting the organization ahead of her pending retirement that was announced last spring. Interior Health had said at the time that Brown would stay on as CEO until the end of this year. Chief financial officer Sylvia Weir has been named interim president and CEO. The closure of Kelowna's pediatric ward is part of ongoing hospital staffing shortages that have caused rolling closures of emergency rooms across B.C. The authority has said the closure could last until July 4. The Kelowna hospital "remains equipped to support any children requiring emergency care although pediatric in-patients will not be admitted at this time," the Interior Health statement on Friday said. "In the meantime, we extend gratitude to the pediatricians providing on-call coverage to the emergency department and we thank everyone working at the emergency department for their efforts during this challenging time. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
9 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Interior Health CEO steps down amid pediatric unit closure at Kelowna General Hospital
The CEO of Interior Health is stepping down amid an extended closure of the pediatric in-patient unit at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH), the regional health authority announced Friday. Service disruptions to the KGH's 10-bed inpatient general pediatrics unit were announced on May 24, with an extended closure of six weeks to begin May 26, due to doctor shortages. CEO Susan Brown had announced her plans to retire last spring, but will be leaving in advance of her pending retirement, Interior Health said in a news release. Her resignation is part of "several key actions" taken by the board of directors, the senior executive team and KGH medical leadership to reopen the pediatric unit as soon as possible, according to Interior Health. The health authority said it will continue to work with the medical staff association and Doctors of B.C. through an established joint action committee to address the staffing challenges and "stabilize services," and will appoint a third-party facilitator to make recommendations to the board. Interior Health said Sylvia Weir, the current chief financial officer and vice president of corporate services, will be stepping in as the interim president and CEO of the government agency.
