BURST
Interior Health CEO Susan Brown has stepped down after the shutdown of the pediatric ward in May at Kelowna General Hospital because of a shortage of pediatricians.
Brown is the second health authority CEO to leave this year after the sudden departure of Fraser Health CEO Dr. Victoria Lee.
In a statement Friday, Interior Health said it remains committed to reopening the hospital’s pediatric in-patient unit “as soon as possible.”
Sylvia Weir, the chief financial officer and vice-president of corporate services, has been appointed interim president and CEO.
Health officials said four new physicians have signed offers to join the department but the hospital does not yet have enough pediatricians available to safely reopen the 10-bed in-patient unit.
The closure decision was made without public notice from the either the Interior Health Authority or the Ministry of Health. Instead, Kelowna doctors broke the news on the eve of the pending closure.
After that, Interior Health confirmed the unit would be out of service from May 26 until the first week of July or longer to preserve pediatric coverage for the neonatal intensive care unit and high-risk deliveries.
Interior Health said Friday the medical staff association and Doctors of B.C. have established a committee to develop a solution to the staffing challenges, and said Brown is ending her tenure in advance of her approaching retirement.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to Susan Brown for her unwavering commitment and service to Interior Health and the health and well-being of the communities we serve during the particularly challenging times of COVID-19 and a global health care worker shortage,” said Dr. Robert Halpenny, Interior Health board chair in a statement Friday.
The statement said Kelowna General remains equipped to support any children requiring emergency care although pediatric in-patients will not be admitted. Some will be transferred elsewhere, including to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
Emergency room Dr. Jeff Eppler told Postmedia last month that he never imagined a disruption of pediatric services of this magnitude and that “it seems almost surreal.”
With files from Vaughn Palmer