Image Credit: Global News

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: Dr. Bonnie Henry is putting on a clinic in leadership

Mar 13, 2020 | 11:01 AM

DR. BONNIE HENRY DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS.

Henry was appointed the successor to Dr. Perry Kendall as the provincial health officer on February 1, 2018.

It was right into the storm of the opioid overdose crisis — not the easiest situation for anyone in charge of public health in any jurisdiction.

Henry, for the most part, has stayed out of the public eye — but now we have a global pandemic.

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COVID-19 is a brand new, highly contagious virus that will kill people whose immune systems can’t fight it off.

So seeing Henry’s leadership style on full display has been reassuring and, frankly, inspiring.

Every day, Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix stand in front of the cameras and update the public on the latest COVID-19 results and recommendations for public behaviour.

Dix brings the force of government to those briefings, but it’s Henry who has the authority of science and best medical practices.

And she has conveyed that authority in a calm and direct manner that is exactly what is needed right now.

Messaging to the public in a time of global emergency needs to be decisive, concise, simple to explain and easy to understand.

First and foremost, our authorities need to be trustworthy. There isn’t a better word to describe Dr. Henry’s presence in the past few weeks. We trust her.

The decision to hit this virus with very dramatic measures very early on opened health officials up to criticism that they were overreacting.

B.C. rolled out a testing regime that has been one of the most comprehensive in the world.

That decision, though, has proven wise.

The quicker we can discourage people from travel, the quicker we can reinforce stringent hand-washing techniques, the better chance we have at slowing down the spread of COVID-19, and the better chance our health system will have the capacity to handle cases as they come forward.

We shouldn’t take this leadership for granted. There are residents around the world, including very nearby, who are not seeing leadership this competent and this trustworthy.

It’s very likely that this is just the beginning of the outbreak, and COVID-19 will end up infecting a large portion of the population – maybe even the majority.

With leaders like Dr. Bonnie Henry, we can be confident that we in B.C. can handle it in the best way possible.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.