Interior Health CEO is out over closure of Kelowna, B.C., pediatric unit

KELOWNA — The head of British Columbia’s Interior Health authority is stepping aside six months early over staff shortages that forced the closure of Kelowna General Hospital’s dedicated pediatric unit.

The authority says the end of president and CEO Susan Brown’s tenure is among “key actions” taken by the board of directors and other leaders to reopen the pediatric department as soon as possible.

Interior Health also says in a statement Friday that four new doctors have signed on to the pediatric department, although it still lacks enough staff to safely reopen the unit, which has been shut since May 26.

The health authority says Brown will now focus on supporting the organization ahead of her pending retirement that was announced last spring.

Interior Health had said at the time that Brown would stay on as CEO until the end of this year.

Chief financial officer Sylvia Weir has been named interim president and CEO.

The closure of Kelowna’s pediatric ward is part of ongoing hospital staffing shortages that have caused rolling closures of emergency rooms across B.C.

The authority has said the closure could last until July 4.

The Kelowna hospital “remains equipped to support any children requiring emergency care although pediatric in-patients will not be admitted at this time,” the Interior Health statement on Friday said.

“In the meantime, we extend gratitude to the pediatricians providing on-call coverage to the emergency department and we thank everyone working at the emergency department for their efforts during this challenging time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.