Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Arlene King

Submitted by taylor on Wed, 12/09/2009 - 16:00.

Dr. Arlene King took on her position as Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health right in the middle of the H1N1 flu pandemic, and faced the difficult task of planning the largest immunization program in Canadian history, all the while facing the scrutiny of the media on daily basis. Balancing the management of the first pandemic of the 21st century in Ontario with being a wife and mother keeps her schedule full, but she managed to find time for an interview with SheDoesTheCity. We got the scoop on how Dr. King feels about media scrutiny of the immunization program, as well as how H1N1 will play out in Ontario for the rest of the winter.

SDTC: What does a typical Thursday look like for you?

Dr. King: Wake up at 6 a.m., have breakfast (usually oatmeal with yogurt and fruit) with my husband, walk to the St. Clair West subway station and travel to Queen’s Park station, arrive at my office at 80 Grosvenor, buy a coffee, read key newspapers/media summaries, before I start a series of meetings …

First, I review the daily H1N1 flu situation; meet with other senior officials from Ontario’s public service; meet with Ontario’s medical officers of health and/or staff of the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion; meet with federal, provincial and territorial senior health officials; receive briefings on a range of public health topics, as part of my orientation to Ontario’s public health system; I often, will close the day with another debrief on the H1N1 flu.

I often eat lunch at my desk, or occasionally, will meet over lunch with colleagues.

I travel home on the subway, usually between 6 and 7 p.m., unless there is an evening meeting, or I have to give an evening presentation or interview.

Eat dinner – usually prepared by my husband – and if time permits, I’ll go for another walk. I like to watch the news, or read a book – non-fiction or fiction (I have Jeff Rubin’s The World is about to get a Whole Lot Smaller and Dan Brown’s latest novel on the go right now!) - before I fall asleep - usually at about 10 p.m.

SDTC: What was your first job out of school?

Dr. King: After I completed my residency training in family medicine at the University of Calgary, I started a family practice in Fairview, Alberta. I learned a great deal, as I had my own office practice, visited patients in the community, and also worked in the local hospital and emergency department.

SDTC: What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well?

Dr. King: Focus, persistence and leadership.

SDTC: What do you love most about your career?

Dr. King: First, the ability to make a difference to the health and well-being of the population of Ontario.

Secondly, I am constantly learning.

Finally, I am privileged to meet Ontarians from all walks of life every day.

SDTC: Do you have any warnings?

Dr. King: Maintaining work-life balance is critical to being able to provide the best of yourself to your family, your friends and your colleagues at work.

SDTC: If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?

Dr. King: I just started my new career a few months ago as Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. My duty to Ontarians, combined with the perspective that I continue to gain from international work on polio eradication, improving access to life-saving vaccines in the Americas, and combating emerging infectious diseases, like pandemic influenza, makes for a very interesting life!

SDTC: Now in regards to H1N1 specifically, did you feel the H1N1 immunization program for 2009 was successful?

Dr. King: Yes. We believe the campaign has been a success to date. We have never administered such a large amount of vaccine in such a short period of time. There continues to be a demand for the H1N1 vaccine in the province and since the flu season lasts all winter long, our focus is still on getting as many Ontarians immunized as possible.

We have taken a number of steps to try and minimize the spread of H1N1, including public education programs, large-scale advertising, vaccination clinics and a flu tracking and monitoring system across Ontario.

SDTC: How do you feel about criticism of the program in the media - for example, media focus on sports teams queue-jumping?

Dr. King: During this program, we have faced challenges such as long line-ups and some queue jumping. However, for the most part this campaign has run smoothly and we have overcome the challenges we have been faced with.

As I mentioned earlier we have never administered such a large amount of vaccine in such a short period of time, and there continues to be demand for the H1N1 vaccine.

In addition, the media have a vital role to play during any health related outbreak. They are key in ensuring that we reach as many Ontarians as possible with important information. It is one of the main reasons we have been holding weekly - and at times - daily, media updates to ensure they have the right information.

SDTC: Do you think we should expect a third wave of H1N1 this winter, or is the worst of it over?

Dr. King: Although we cannot predict if we will see a resurgence of the H1N1 flu virus, we certainly expect that people will continue to become ill with the virus over the winter. Influenza activity in Ontario is high at this time.

At this point in time, our focus is on getting as many Ontarians immunized as possible. For every 100,000 people who don’t get immunized, approximately 25,000 will get sick with the H1N1 flu virus. Of those, between 20 and 100 will be hospitalized and about six will die. The more people who get vaccinated, the less people will get sick and the more deaths we will prevent overall.

SDTC: Do you have any advice as a mother and a physician to any of our readers who are suffering from the flu?

Dr. King: It’s important to take care of yourself if you experience any flu symptoms. Stay home and rest. To ease the symptoms of flu try some of the following:
• drink lots of fluids;
• avoid drinks with caffeine;
• take basic pain or fever relievers;
• do not give acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin®) to children or teenagers under the age of 18;
• apply heat for short periods of time using a hot water bottle or heating pad to reduce muscle pain;
• take a warm bath;
• gargle with a glass of warm water or suck on hard candy or lozenges;
• use saline drops or spray for a stuffy nose; and
• avoid alcohol and tobacco
If you’re worried about your symptoms it is best to call Telehealth Ontario or visit your family physician. For more information visit www.ontario.ca/flu.

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