AHS agreed to hired Dr. Hinshaw, then removed her, prompting prestigious Indigenous doctor to resign | 24CA News
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s former Chief Medical Officer of Health, was set to start working with the Indigenous Wellness Core (IWC) — part of Alberta Health Services — and now she isn’t, and one among her would-be colleagues has resigned in protest.
“I went from believing I was a leader to recognizing I was a token,” Dr. Esther Tailfeathers advised Global News.
She is the senior medical director of the IWC.
“My realization is that with all the experience and the work that I’ve done in Indigenous health, it didn’t mean anything.”
Tailfeathers is upset after studying her staff’s resolution to rent Hinshaw was reversed after being initially authorised.
She says there was an intensive and aggressive course of earlier than choosing Hinshaw to fill a task within the IWC as Public Health and Preventive Medicine Lead.
Hinshaw was supplied the job in May.
On June 1, a memo went out internally, welcoming Hinshaw to the staff.
It led to backlash, largely from these sad with how Hinshaw dealt with the pandemic.
AHS issued an announcement shortly after: “Dr. Hinshaw is not employed by AHS.”
Tailfeathers hasn’t been advised who rescinded the job supply.
“Who rescinded it? I don’t know, and I think there are questions to be asked about why the job was rescinded, and somebody should ask about ‘did anybody think about the impact this will make to Indigenous lives in the province?’”
She’s involved the choice to ship her staff again to restart the hiring course of may value Indigenous lives.
“It breaks my heart to know that we worked very hard to start lifting the strategy but it was completely ignored and for some irrational reason, Deena’s offer was rescinded,” Tailfeathers stated in a Zoom interview.
Global News requested AHS why the choice was made and by whom.
The well being authority responded it could not touch upon the matter.
“AHS doesn’t speak to personnel matters,” the assertion learn.
“AHS remains firmly committed to working with Indigenous communities and will continue to work to provide culturally safe healthcare for all First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples throughout the province. ”
Lorian Hardcastle, an affiliate professor on the college of regulation and Cumming School of Medicine on the University of Calgary, questions why this occurred.
“The team supported Dr. Hinshaw’s hiring, she is qualified to fill this position despite being a controversial figure, so it isn’t clear what other than politics may have driven this,” she stated.
The Premier’s Office dismissed that thought.
“AHS is responsible for hiring decisions and the government of Alberta does not comment on AHS personnel decisions,” a spokesperson for the premier stated in full.
Hardcastle says if the choice to rescind Hinshaw’s job supply wasn’t political, each Tailfeathers’ staff and the general public should know what did trigger it.
She says AHS’ resolution has led to 2 main losses to Indigenous well being.
As for Tailfeathers, she says this transfer might deter proficient physicians and health-care staff from coming to Alberta.
“This scares all physicians because nobody is guaranteed a job,” Tailfeathers warned.
“Even if they go through protocol with proper search and selection, they meet all the criteria, they’re offered a job, and the next day they find out their job has been rescinded.”
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
