Public Health searching for a new Medical Officer of Health

Jeff Green | Jun 02, 2021

We are extremely proud of our small part in elevating Kieran to that position,” said Dennis Doyle, the board Chair of Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Public Health (KFLAPH) on Monday.

Doyle, who is also the Mayor of Frontenac Islands, was talking about the worst kept secret of the weekend, that Dr. Kieran Moore will be replacing Dr. David Williams as the Medical Officer of Health for the Province of Ontario and will be leaving KFLAPH at the end of this week.

“We had planned a staff meeting for this, a virtual one of course, to let all of the staff at Public Health know before it was announced by the province, but it was leaked on Saturday and everyone knew about it already,” said Doyle.

Doyle was aware that Moore was in consideration for the job a number of weeks ago, but that information had been kept confidential until the weekend.

“We couldn’t start a search for his replacement until now, and we will get that underway right away. We hope to have someone in place by September,” said Doyle. “Fortunately, we have Dr. Yu Guan as Associate Medical Officer of Health, a role that will be extended to full time now that Dr. Moore is leaving.”

Linda Murray, the Director of Corporate Services for KFLAPH, will be the acting Chief Executive Officer until Dr. Moore’s replacement is found.

Moore served as the Associate Medical Officer of Health at KFLAPH for several years until Dr. Ian Gemmill retired in 2016, and he transitioned into the senior role at that time.

“Dr. Gemmill retired just as I was taking on the board chair role. He said it was nothing personal at the time. I’m very proud of all the work we’ve done over the last five years, this is one of the better boards I have ever been associated with. It has not only been Kieran, but the team that has been assembled is excellent. I think when we recruit for his replacement, we will have some very good candidates because of how successful we have been, not only through the pandemic where we are one of the jurisdictions with the least amount of cases and deaths in the entire province,” said Doyle.

Before KFLAPH put most of its ongoing operations aside to focus on the pandemic in 2020, initiatives in the prevention and treatment of Lyme Disease, a program to identify and mitigate against Radon exposure in the region, as well as the opioid crisis, have been major initiatives over the past few years.

KFLAPH is actively promoting the decriminalisation of possession of opioids, for personal use, as part of a harm reduction initiative that is proceeding during the pandemic response.

“Deaths from opioid use far outstrip deaths from COVID in our region. It has been called a ‘shadow’ pandemic” said Doyle.

The new job will be a big change for Moore, Doyle said, because instead of managing 250 people delivering service, he will be setting policy and providing high-level direction.

“He is a very long-term thinker. He looks at what is going to happen in weeks, months and years, not just at what is in front of him. The province will be well served by that kind of approach. He also listens to what people say, he does not bully his agenda through. I must commend the Ford government on this selection.”

Doyle also said that Dr. Moore, in his role at Ontario Health, will have some influence in any changes that are forthcoming for public health reform.

“When they were first elected, the Ford government wanted to cut from 42 Public Health Boards to 10. I don’t know where that is going now, after the pandemic demonstrated how important Public Health is for everyone in Ontario. But, the example of the Kingston Frontenac Board, with a population of 200,000, which is larger than most of the boards, but smaller than the massive boards in Toronto with something like 3.5 million people, will be something that Kieran will bring to those discussions, if they resurface.”

One of the criticisms that has been leveled against Doctor Williams has been his communications style. By contrast, in KFL&A, Dr. Moore has been the face of Public Health throughout the pandemic, in newspaper, radio and tv interviews, and on Twitter and Youtube, where he has provided updates regularly.

In a press release from the KFLAPH Board that was released on Monday, it was pointed out that the success the region has enjoyed in avoiding the worst consequences of the pandemic, is partly due to Moore’s efforts, but also to the commitment of the KFLAPH team and the local communities.

“We would be remiss, and I know Dr. Moore will agree, [not to point out that] while he deserves credit for our success during the pandemic, this simply could not have happened without the hard work and support of the exceptional KFL&A Public Health staff, our partners in other sectors of the health system and business community, the excellent support, and ongoing input from the 11 municipalities across our region who financially support the agency and are ultimately responsible for governance, and last, but not least the public for adhering to public health measures to keep our region and each other safe.”

Dr. Moore will begin working for Public Health Ontario on June 7. He will take over as Medical Officer of Health for Ontario on June 26th, the day after Dr. Williams retires.