CJD Review Team and Mandate Announced

Nova Scotia has recruited a senior health administrator from outside of the province to chair a review of the events around two suspected cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).

Health Minister Angus MacIsaac said he is pleased that Patrick Lee, executive director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, P.E.I., agreed to participate.

"We promised to conduct a thorough and objective review, as quickly as possible," Mr. MacIsaac said today, May 7. "Mr. Lee has the knowledge of health systems and objectivity important in this type of review. His leadership will be important to move this review forward and to deliver a report with recommendations within a month."

The review will look at the activities taken in each organization related to the two recent cases of suspected CJD and make recommendations to improve procedures for preventing and managing exposure to CJD in Nova Scotia.

The review team's terms of reference are available on the website at www.gov.ns.ca/health .

The office of the provincial medical officer of health will co- ordinate the review and support will be provided by the Department of Health's quality division.

The review team will also include representatives from Health Canada, Public Health, Department of Health, Capital Health and Southwest Health.

Pat Lee has a master of health administration from the University of Ottawa and is a certified health executive of the Canadian College of Health Service Executives. Before taking the leadership position at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in October 2003, Mr. Lee was the vice president of the mental health program at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax for six years.

Recommendations will be presented to the Minister of Health prior to public release.