Dr. Piotr Oglaza officially said hello to the Kingston community Thursday during his first media briefing as KFL&A’s new medical officer of health.
Although there was no flipboard — something his predecessor Dr. Kieran Moore, now the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, was famous for — Oglaza did open with a slideshow.
The multimedia presentation was meant to introduce the doctor’s personal view on public health.
“Public health happens when we understand that the individual cannot be well and healthy unless the community is healthy and strong and public health is our shared focus on the health of our communities,” Oglaza said.
“This means that public health involves our caring for each other in a way that makes individuals and communities better.”
Oglaza said he is no stranger to Kingston. He is a Queen’s University graduate and has lived here for the past decade, even while serving as medical officer of health for Hastings and Prince Edward counties.
“I am part of this community. I’ve worked as a family physician in Sharbot Lake and Verona while still residing in Kingston. So I’ve been here. My family is from Kingston, (and) my wife’s family, so it is my home community. I’ve never moved,” Oglaza said.
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He also noted that he learned a great deal from Moore during their time together leading neighbouring public health units, and he worked closely with the previous medical officer of health for the region, Dr. Ian Gemmill.
“It is from these two mentors that I have learned what it truly means to be a medical officer of health,” Oglaza said.
One local health-care worker said she is looking forward to working with Oglaza. Deb Lefebvre, a nurse and health advocate, says she admires his work ethic and hopes he maintains strong communication with nurses in the region.
“Dr. Moore truly recognized the value of bringing nurse professionals into the planning and development of the COVID pandemic response. He was very clear on that. I would like to see Dr. Oglaza continue with that approach,” Lefebvre said.
She says that Oglaza has big shoes to fill, but she believes he’s up to the task.
As for what he would like to see for the future, Oglaza has big ideas, including topics that touch on climate change, mental health and addressing inequities in society.
“My vision for public health truly revolves around that concept of bringing community together and leading the way towards changes that will help us deal with the health challenges in the next decade,” he said.
When asked what he would bring over from his time in Hastings Prince Edward, Oglaza says the regions may be different in population density and in geography, but essentially, the practice of public health will be the same.
For now, as his first week as KFL&A’s new medical officer of health comes to a close, Oglaza said his focus is on jumping into current programming — especially concerning the pandemic and the local vaccine strategy — and seeing how he can contribute to those efforts for the future.
Oglaza officially started in the role on Monday.
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