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The provincial government has appointed a new Alberta Health Services board consisting of seven members including three deputy ministers.
The board will be chaired by former cabinet minister Dr. Lyle Oberg.
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On Wednesday the Alberta government announced its plans to reorganize AHS as part of a series of moves that will create multiple new service delivery agencies. The plan introduced a new governing board which will replace Dr. John Cowell who was named the provincial health authority’s official administrator in 2022 when Premier Danielle Smith made good on her promise to remove the previous 11-member AHS board.
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Cowell will remain on as an adviser to the new board “until December,” according to a news release.
“The seven-member board will support the transition of AHS into a health care organization with a focus on delivering high-quality acute care services within a reorganized single provincial health care system.”
The board will serve as a temporary transition team until the new organizations are set up by next fall.
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“I look forward to working with the new AHS board members who will bring expertise and fresh perspective to the table as we work towards a structure that supports the health workforce and improves access to care,” Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said in the release. “Alberta Health Services will continue to have a key role in delivering acute care services with a renewed patient emphasis on shorter wait times and higher quality of care.”
The changes will be introduced in a staggered approach that begins in the coming weeks and will continue through to next fall, according to government documents. AHS would shift from being the sole overall health care provider to focus on acute care and continuing care.
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It would share that role with two new organizations — one that oversees the delivery of hospital care, urgent care centres, cancer care, and emergency medical services, and another that will co-ordinate primary health care services and provide transparent provincial oversight.
The remaining two organizations will oversee continuing care and mental health and addiction.
Three deputy ministers, former cabinet minister on board
Oberg was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1993 and served as a cabinet minister, among other appointments, as the province’s minister of learning and later minister of finance before leaving politics in 2008.
In a news release, he said his “first-hand” experience with the imbalances within the health-care system has pushed his commitment to provide “high-quality” acute services across the province.
“I’m honoured to serve Albertans and take part in building a strong provincial health care system that works for Albertans and health care workers and supports their needs.”
Also appointed to the board were Andre Tremblay, deputy minister of Health, Evan Romanow, deputy minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Cynthia Farmer, deputy minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, plus Sandy Edmonstone and Paul George Haggis. The seventh member has yet to be named.
“I’m honoured to take part in the urgent and necessary efforts to strengthen the health-care system. I’m pleased to lend my expertise and work with my fellow board members to ensure Albertans have access to world-class care and outcomes now and into the future,” Edmonstone said in a news release.
— With files from Matthew Black
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