DUNCAN - The Cowichan Valley will have a new medical health officer starting September 1. Island Health has appointed Dr. Shannon Waters as Medical Health Officer Central Vancouver Island Cowichan Area.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Waters is joining our team,” said Dr. Paul Hasselback, Island Health Medical Health Officer. “Dr. Waters has extensive knowledge of the local Cowichan community and Indigenous health, and her passion for public health will benefit residents.”
This new position will serve the geographic area of the Cowichan Valley Regional District and will greatly enhance service and expertise to all of Central Vancouver Island, an area that has experienced considerable population growth over the last 15 years. Dr. Waters shares Central Vancouver Island with Dr. Paul Hasselback who will concentrate on the regional districts of Alberni-Clayoquot and Nanaimo.
“I am honoured to take on this role in a community I know well,” said Dr. Waters. “I am committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of people living in the Cowichan Valley.”
Dr. Waters has served as Island Health’s Medical Director for Excellence in Maternal Care for Indigenous Women and Families in the North Island region, where she also led the work for excellence in cultural safety. She was also the Indigenous Health Physician Advisor to the Provincial Health Officer and held various positions with Health Canada and the First Nations Health Authority including Director of Health Surveillance and Acting Senior Medical Officer.
Dr. Waters has considerable experience and expertise connecting with the local Cowichan community as a Senior Medical Officer and a family physician. She is Hulqu’minum, a member of Stz’uminus First Nation, and her family ties to the area extend for generations. She is passionate about giving back to the community by helping transform health and wellbeing.
Island Health, one of seven health jurisdictions in British Columbia, provides health care and support services to more than 765,000 people on Vancouver Island, the islands in the Salish Sea and the Johnstone Strait, and mainland communities north of Powell River.
With more than 20,000 staff, 1,900 physician partners, 6,000 volunteers, and the dedicated support of foundations and auxiliaries, Island Health delivers a broad range of health services, including: public health services, primary health care, home and community care, mental health and addictions services, acute care in hospitals, and much more across a huge, geographically diverse region.
Media inquiries:
Meribeth Burton
Media Relations
250.519.1815
meribeth.burton@islandhealth.ca