COVID-19: Montreal health director to leave job after coroner’s report into Herron deaths | Globalnews.ca

Lynne McVey, the head of the Montreal regional health authority that stepped in to take over the CHSLD Herron as a fatal wave of COVID-19 swept through the long-term care home, is stepping down this summer.

McVey will not seek another term as CEO of the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal after her current mandate comes to an end in July.

The health authority, which oversees the western portion of Montreal, confirmed the move in a statement issued Tuesday.

McVey’s decision comes one day after a damning report from a Quebec coroner into dozens of pandemic-related deaths at nursing homes across the province.

Coroner Géhane Kamel’s report looked at the 47 deaths during the spring of 2020 at the Herron, a private care home in Dorval.

Kamel found that staff at the Herron was obviously unprepared for the pandemic, adding there were not enough nurses. There was also a shortage of basic supplies such as diapers and sheets.

The coroner specifically criticized McVey, noting that the majority of deaths at the Herron occurred after the government took over the facility.

“The general management of the CIUSSS is currently reviewing the coroner’s report and its recommendations and is committed to implementing them for the safety and well-being of its users and residents,” the health authority said in a statement, which also said McVey wouldn’t be speaking to media about her decision.

Najia Hachimi-Idrissi will take over McVey’s role on an interim basis until her position is filled.

— with files from The Canadian Press