Publication date: Nov 17, 2022 • 6 hours ago • 4 min read 34 Comments On Thursday, November 17, 2022, the Government of Alberta announced that Dr. John Cowell will take over the board of Alberta Health Services effective immediately. Photo by File photo / Postmedia
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is making good on her promise to remove the Alberta Health Services board, replacing it with a single administrator.
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The current 11-member board is out and Dr. John Cowell will be the new official administrator of the provincial health authority. His appointment is one of several steps the premier has promised to take to quickly overhaul Alberta’s health care system. Sign up to receive daily news headlines from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
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Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping made the announcement in Calgary on Thursday, with Smith saying Cowell will report directly to the two. The health system’s latest shake-up comes just days after former chief health officer Dr. Dina Hinshaw by Dr. Mark Joffe, vice president of AHS, on an interim basis. Smith said the move is about assuring health care workers that “help is on the way.” Cowell’s appointment sees history repeat itself – he also became an official trustee of AHS in 2013 after the previous Progressive Conservative government ousted the AHS board. Cowell served a one-year term, with others shuffled into the role before the former NDP government restored the board structure in 2015.
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The new administrator has been given several goals: reducing emergency room and surgical wait times, improving EMS response times and consulting with frontline workers to develop long-term reforms. Smith said the government would measure results and progress, but did not elaborate. “We know what needs to be done, we just need the will to do it,” he said. Copping did not provide a specific budget estimate for the priorities, but noted that the overall health care budget is $600 million more than last year, in addition to funding the surgical initiative and the response to COVID-19. Copping said the appointment of an administrator is temporary and the board will be reinstated “at the appropriate time.” It’s unclear exactly when that might be.
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A 2012 file photo of Dr. John Cowell, then CEO of the Health Quality Council of Alberta.. Photo by File photo /Postmedia
In response to concerns some Albertans will have about frequent major changes at AHS, Smith said the move is not intended to cause disruption. “I don’t want to get in the way of the decisions (Cowell) makes… We’re not going to get in the way of decisions being made.” On Thursday afternoon, NDP Leader Rachel Notley slammed the government’s announcement, calling it “bad political theater.” He added that the government simply described the problem without addressing what health workers are asking for. “There is absolutely nothing about today’s announcement that should convince a single lone individual that help is on the way, and on the contrary, things are likely to get worse before they get better,” Notley said.
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In a statement, Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Fredrykka Rinaldi praised Cowell’s experience, but added that doctors continue to call for stability in the health system. “I emphasize the need for close consultation with those who provide the care Albertans need in our hospitals, acute care and community settings,” he said. “This is an important project, given that the biggest barrier to improving access is the lack of human resources for health.”
Cowell is looking forward to changing the healthcare system
Cowell said he will have two employees working with him and expects to see results in six months. “The reason we’re in a pickle, in a way, is because the system wasn’t in a proper balance before COVID. It was still too stretched.”
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He said “fundamental changes” needed by the health system could be hindered by factors beyond their control, such as the surge in circulation of COVID, flu and RSV currently straining hospitals. “But I think the fundamental changes are so well organized and thought out that all we really need to do is accelerate them.” Coming out of retirement for the concert, he added that he would meet with leadership groups on Tuesday. “Next week, bright and early, I’m out of my tights and back into my business suit.” Cowell previously served as CEO of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta. Then, for a decade, he directed the Healthcare Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA), an organization focused on improving the safety and standards of healthcare.
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In 2012, as CEO of HQCA, he released an investigation that confirmed allegations of widespread intimidation and silencing of doctors advocating for their patients. He also confirmed that long waits for emergency care put health and lives at risk. At the time, he said trust between doctors and the health system “just wasn’t where it should be,” noting the relationship eroded with the creation of Alberta Health Services in 2008, when then-Health Minister Ron Lippert broke up the nine former regions health. for the creation of a health authority. Cowell said the health system needed to be stabilized and recommended there should be no restructuring without broad consultation, a clear rationale and a plan. In 2013, following a dispute over executive pay, the AHS board was dissolved and replaced by a single official trustee, Janet Davidson. Months later, Cowell took the job for a one-year term, implementing a new structure that saw the agency reduce its vice presidents from 80 to 10, along with implementing tighter political spending and a framework that eliminated bonuses. In 2015, when the NDP defeated the Progressive Conservative government, former health minister Sarah Hoffman reinstated the board. [email protected] @reportrix [email protected] @meksmith
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