A new board to govern Alberta Health Services has been announced by Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman. There has been no board in place since the last 10 person team was fired in 2013. Hoffman says the board will work closely with the government and report directly to her.
“I will work with the board to set long and short term objectives, and to monitor whether the organization is achieving those objectives. I firmly believe this governance models will enable us to achieve our goal of better health care for all.”
Hoffman says she is also looking to have Indigenous representation on the new board, and has reached out to the Grande Chiefs of Treaties 6, 7, and 8, as well as Metis representatives for suggestions of additional members.
“I told them a little bit about the type of board I wanted and asked that they give names for me to consider adding at a future date. I think that’s actually what consultation is, not appointing somebody and saying ‘What do you think of the people we’ve already got?’, but actually reaching out in a collaborative way and they’ve been very responsive to that.”
Hoffman says everyone named to the board is there for the right reasons, and that the Chair, former U of A Chancellor Linda Hughes, will receive $50,000 a year in compensation along with an honorarium tied to meetings. Other members include Vice-Chair Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn, David Carpenter, Hugh D. Sommerville, Marliss Taylor, and Glenda Yeates.