- by Anne Finlay-Stewart, Editor
The Board of Health Chair announced at Grey County Council that three GBHU Directors would be attending (virtually) the annual meeting of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (ALPHA) in June.
There is currently no organizational chart on the Health Unit website, but on the most recent Organizational Reporting Chart we can find (last updated March 4, 2021), there was one Director - Matt McMurdie- Corporate Services, and one Acting Director - Sarah Ellis - Operations and Program Development. Ms. Ellis is also the Chief Nursing Officer.
The March 4 chart also included Susan Shular as Director of Operations and Program Development. Ms. Shular has taken her retirement after 30-plus years with the Health Unit. In thanking Ms. Shular for her service at the March Board of Health meeting, Dr. Arra described her portfolio as "everything we do here that isn't Covid."
Last week staff were notified that Public Health Manager Ian Reich had been named Interim Director of Operations and Programs, and that the hiring process is underway for a permanent replacement. There has been no public announcement. Reich has been the Harm Reduction Manager for the past two and a half years and one of the leading community voices in the current opioid epidemic that has claimed eight lives in our region in 2021.
There has been a posting on the Public Health website since last year for a third Director - temporary contract - Human Resources. This would be a new position for Public Health, requiring a Masters degree, at least 7 years management experience in a unionized environment, 5 of them in an HR capacity.
There is also a posting for a permanent full-time HR Manager, reporting to the Director of Corporate Services. We have confirmed that this is one of the positions that was eliminated in January 2020 as part of a cost-saving plan when provincial Public Health funding cuts were anticipated. The HR department has had contract staff in the interim, and according to the March 4 chart, responsibilities are currently handled by Mr. McMurdie as Acting Department Manager, an HR Generalist, and an assistant.
We continue to request information from the Public Health Unit on your behalf. Historically we have had generous access to an open, transparent flow of information.
