Full overhaul of B.C. Emergency Health Services executive complete
Six months after the fatal heat dome that claimed hundreds of British Columbians' lives amid an unexplained lack of preparedness from the province’s emergency health officials, and as long waits for 911 and ambulance service continue to be a problem, the executives at the helm have been replaced on a permanent basis.
In an internal memo to B.C. Emergency Health Services staff obtained by CTV News, Leanne Heppell, who’d been appointed executive vice-president and chief ambulance officer on an interim basis in July, was announced as the permanent holder of the role.
“Since I have been here, we have navigated several instances of extreme weather conditions, continued to deal with two public health emergencies and experienced extreme pressures on our staffing as well as our systems and infrastructure,” she wrote to staff, thanking senior leaders and front-line staff for their work and support.
Dr. Wilson Wan, who’d been serving as interim chief medical officer for BCEHS since at least February of 2021, has also been replaced. Dr. Mike Christian is described as joining the service last month and “was also recently one of the first three physicians in Canada to receive the Diplomate (DRCPSC) in Prehospital and Transport Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.”
Heppell’s permanent promotion and Christian’s appointment were not announced via news release from BCEHS. Instead, the information was updated on the organization’s website by the time the memo went out to staff on Wednesday morning.
PROMOTIONS AND HIRING COME DURING TRANSFORMATIVE ERA
Heppell’s appointment came as the ambulance service came under increased scrutiny for its belated response to record-high temperatures throughout the province. By November, the top two non-clinical executives had been quietly reassigned to other roles in the health-care system.
In her first interview since taking the helm on an interim basis, CTV News asked if there had been any management changes since the heat dome and Heppell had replied she was unaware, but an internal memo revealed an interim chief operating officer had been doing the job while Darlene Mackinnon had been on leave. At the time, a petition was circulating to remove her from the post.
Heppell described this as the most “transformative era” in BCEHS history, and the chair of the newly-formed board overseeing the organization lauded her qualifications and enthusiasm for the job.
“In accepting this appointment, Leanne confirmed with me that her focus now is on continuing to work collaboratively with the BCEHS Board, PHSA, Ministry of Health and Ambulance Paramedics of BC (APBC), to take concrete actions that position BCEHS to best meet rapidly changing demands and ensure our provincial ambulance system is delivering high quality, responsive care to British Columbians who need us most.,” said Jim Chu in an email.
His statement, sent from the BCEHS communications team on his behalf, did not answer CTV News’ question about whether her promotion and Christian’s appointment were at the direction of the health minister or the board’s decision, but said Heppell “reports directly to the BCEHS board, through me as board chair.”
OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK DURING A CHALLENGING TIME
The moves come amid a staffing crisis in the paramedic and dispatch service, which had been struggling before the Omicron wave but has recently seen up to half of available ambulances unstaffed; last year alone the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. report their members responded to a record-breaking one million dispatches for service.
Heppell described the current situation and the omicron wave as “tough” but struck an optimistic tone in her memo.
“We will get through this latest challenge, and there will come a time when the pandemic becomes an endemic, and we can return to a more normal way of working and living,” she wrote.
“For now, we are very focused on maintaining our staffing levels, but there are many other important projects that we will return to soon, exciting initiatives that will help us achieve our goal of becoming a world-class emergency service and improving the work experience of our staff.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.