New CEO appointed for AHS

By Lethbridge Herald on January 9, 2025.

For the fourth time in four years, a new CEO has been appointed to the head of Alberta Health Services.
The Alberta government announced Wednesday that Andre Tremblay, deputy minister of Alberta Health, will take over duties as interim CEO, replacing Athana Mentzelopoulos just 13 months after she was appointed. Meanwhile, Dr. Chris Eagle, himself a former CEO of AHS, was named the new chair and interim president and CEO of acute Care Alberta. He’ll take over the position on Feb. 1, coinciding with the official establishment of ACA as a legal entity.
“I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to Athana Mentzelopoulos for the work she has done during her time leading Alberta Health Services,” Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said in the release.
The move was touted as a means of “bringing in the expertise and experience needed to continue refocusing the health care system for the benefit of all Albertans.”
In a release to media, the government said it was committed to refocusing the province’s health-care system to give Albertans better access to the services they need, when and where they need them.
Acute Care Alberta, the new acute care provincial health agency, includes hospitals, emergency services and surgery care. Government says Ii will work to speed up access to high-quality care, reduce wait times and make sure the patient’s journey through the system is efficient and effective across the province.
“I am excited to take on this role and support the efforts to refocus Alberta’s health care system and to create an improved acute care system that will make sure Albertans have access to the best health care services they need, no matter where they live in the province,” Eagle said in the release.
Eagle’s focus will be on preparing the organization for its first day of operations later this spring. His appointment to the position is pending finalization of his contract. He has significant experience supporting and leading health care organizations and projects across Alberta, including his time as president and CEO of AHS from 2010 to 2013.
Tremblay’s task will be to support Eagle’s work and to lead AHS through its transition from a regional health authority to a hospital-based service provider, said the release. He has served in several senior leadership positions over the past 20 years, including as deputy minister at Education, Agriculture and Forestry, and Transportation. This is also his second leadership role at Alberta Health, having previously served as an associate deputy minister. He was also previously appointed as the deputy clerk of executive council and deputy secretary to cabinet. In his role as interim president and CEO, Tremblay will not receive a salary. His salary as deputy minister will remain the same. He will continue his duties as deputy minister while the AHS board of directors selects the permanent president and CEO.
“We are at a critical time in the work that is underway to refocus the health care system,” AHS board chair Angela Fong said in the release. “I am confident we can continue to make great strides to achieve the goal of making health care better for everyone in Alberta. ”
While in the interim role, Tremblay will work with AHS leadership to oversee operations, support staff transitions to Primary Care Alberta and establish Acute Care Alberta as a legal entity ahead of its operationalization this spring. Throughout this work, Albertans will continue to access acute care services as they always have and there will be no impact to front-line health care workers.
“We have made great progress refocusing the health care system,” said Tremblay. ‘And I am eager to take on this new role and support the work being done to improve health care across the province. I look forward to leading AHS as it transitions to a service delivery provider and engaging with front-line workers and staff across the system in the coming months.”
Alberta’s Opposition leader isn’t nearly as optimistic about the changes, however. He said the move was a sign of instability in the UCP government’s plans for health care.
“It may be a new year, but the UCP is still following their old playbook: undermining public health care and creating chaos for patients and staff,” Naheed Nenshi said in response to the announcement. “Danielle Smith and Adriana LaGrange keep attacking acute care by firing CEOs and appointing more insiders instead of fixing the very real problems Albertans are facing. Emergency rooms across the province are closing and nearly a million Albertans don’t have a family doctor.”
The revolving door of AHS leadership is proof of that, he added, which has negative impact on services for Albertans.
 “This is now the fourth CEO and the fourth board chair the UCP has gone through since 2021. Alberta now has six health care organizations, each with their own management layer, and the UCP still cannot get it right. Their incompetence is putting patients at risk. ”
In addition, Nenshi accused Smith of taking exponentially longer to address health care issues than she claimed she would.
 “Danielle Smith promised to fix healthcare in 90 days,” he said. “That was 810 days ago and all we’ve seen is a system on the verge of collapse, more new managers for them to blame, and worse patient outcomes. Albertans deserve better than this make-it-up-as-we-go-along chaos.Smith and LaGrange keep looking for people to blame for this disaster. Time for them to look in the mirror.”

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