Shakeup announced for Alberta Health Services’ executive team

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated to clarify which current executive team members were already on the executive team.

After the province announced plans last week to restructure Alberta Health Services, the agency’s senior leadership team has been replaced.

On Thursday, AHS said the following members of its executive team were “no longer in their roles”:

• President and CEO Mauro Chies
• Vice president of quality and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francois Belanger
• Vice president of corporate services and Chief Financial Officer Colleen Purdy
• Tina Giesbrecht (general counsel and corporate secretary)
• Geoffrey Pradella (Chief Strategy Officer) and
• Dean Olmstead (Chief Program Officer of Capital Management).

Chies was named interim president and CEO on April 4, 2022, after Verna Yiu’s dismissal. On March 20, 2023, the interim title was removed from Chies. Yiu had held the CEO position since May 31, 2016.

2:04 Alberta Health Services CEO leaves top job a year before contract ends

Sean Chilton, vice-president and chief operating officer of clinical operations and information technology, has been named acting president and CEO.

Other executive team members are Kerry Bales, Gail Fredrickson, Karen Horon, Dr. Peter Jamieson, Susan McGillivray, Natalie McMurtry, Dr. Sid Viner and Ronda White.

2:22 Premier Danielle Smith announces changes to ‘refocus’ Alberta Health Services

In a news release Thursday, AHS said the restructuring will take place over the next 18 months.

“Members on the executive team, and staff throughout Alberta Health Services, come to work every day to make a positive contribution to the health care being offered to Albertans,” said Dr. Lyle Oberg, who was named AHS executive board chair on Nov. 8.

“I want to thank everyone for their commitment and efforts. We will be respectful and deliberate as we move forward in the transition.”

AHS is focusing now on four key priorities: improving emergency medical services (EMS) response times, decreasing emergency department wait times, reducing surgery wait times and improving patient flow and continuity of care.

1:18 AHS says communication issues, lack of available ambulances delayed dispatch for fatal Calgary dog attack

Under the restructured system, AHS’ primary focus will be acute care.

Other delivery functions will move to be accountable to the new organizations, AHS said.

These new organizations will focus on governance, accountability and oversight for primary care, acute care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction, AHS continued.

Albertans will continue to access healthcare services where they regularly receive their care during the system’s transition period and beyond.

2:12 Alberta unveils plans to overhaul health-care system