Leading by example

OK, so SuperRoss is going to go down to Eastern Health and, while not saying that anyone should be shot or anything, he's making it clear that he's going to knock a few heads. Metaphorical heads. As he told the House on Tuesday:

MR. WISEMAN: What has now taken place is that we have now arranged a meeting for early next week with the senior officials from Eastern Health and officials from my department to start a process to map out very clearly, so there is nothing ambiguous about a process of disclosure in the future and how that might work, how the patient disclosure differentiates from a public disclosure and when those events should occur. There is a U.S. firm, an institute for health care communication has been engaged to come in and do some work with Eastern Health, and the other three authorities, I say, Mr. Speaker, on disclosure of adverse health events and the education around how you go about doing that and training for the people who will be doing that.

So those things will be starting, I say, Mr. Speaker. Next week, as I have said a moment ago, officials in my department, together with myself, I personally will be engaged in this process to start mapping out very clearly how Eastern Health and the other four authorities will deal with public disclosure in the future. This education for the people who will be involved in that disclosure will be carried out by this institute for health care communication, a U.S.-based non-profit organization.

Eastern Health is going to be re-educated in how to issue press releases. Friday evenings are bad, mkay.

Alright then.

But, you see, this isn't the first time that Eastern Health has felt His wrath over its failure to be as open and accountable as Danny Williams-Government itself is. A year ago today, DW-G told the House:

PREMIER WILLIAMS: So, you know I cannot attribute any blame. I cannot pass my own personal opinion on it. What we have seen is we have seen instances where Eastern Health had omitted and deleted information from briefing notes that were being released under ATTIP requests, and that was done. They have gone off - they have actually had press conferences where, in fact, all of the information was not revealed. Those are actions that are beyond the control of the minister. The minister cannot be responsible for every single person all the way down the line in the health care system because they have no possible, tangible means of doing it.

Will Ross be sending in outside help to teach them how to respond to Access to Information requests? or how to reveal all the information about something in a press conference?

And will Eastern Health be told, in no uncertain terms, just like its press release practices, to not follow the examples set by Danny Williams-Government?