As many of you know, Penny Ballem is a doctor.
A hematologist, actually.
And, of course, she’s Vancouver’s city manager, a $300,000-plus-a-year position she accepted way back in December 2008. She took the job after the new Vision Vancouver-dominated council got rid of then-city manager Judy Rogers.
No doubt, she works long hours and is essentially the CEO of a large company that happens to be funded by taxpayers. But as it turns out, Ballem still finds time to practise medicine.
How do I know this?
I’ll let the city’s director of corporate communications, Rena Kendall-Craden, explain to you what she explained to me in an email: “She works for a colleague in Richmond one half day a week, usually Thursday mornings, using her earned days off and does not accept compensation.”
Ballem’s employment contract says she will “be afforded the opportunity to maintain her status with the College of Physicians and Surgeons by practising medicine on a limited basis.”
Her contract also says “this arrangement is supported with the clear understanding that there will be no conflict of interest that shall arise from this work, that this work will not impact her devotion to her primary duties and that she can accept the fees remitted for this service.”
So, there you have it.
Now, how do these so-called earned days off work?
The city allows Ballem and other exempt staff the ability to earn up to 15 days off every year for working extra time. As Kendall-Craden explained, the purpose of the provision is to “create a balance between the work and lifestyle interests of employees and the operational and customer service requirements of the department.”
The earned days off are to be scheduled over the course of the year, ideally one day per month with three days at Christmas shutdown. They can’t replace vacation time and cannot be taken in blocks of days, unless the entire annual vacation entitlement has already been taken.
Also, medical and dental appointments and other personal or family matters should be scheduled on earned days off, whenever possible, said Kendall-Craden, who happens to know a little bit about the life of someone who practises medicine. Her spouse is Dr. Perry Kendall, the provincial health officer.
So with Ballem’s medical background, it was no surprise to find a write-up posted Feb. 19 on the city’s website that has the city supporting a campaign to match doctors with residents. It’s dubbed “A GP for Me.”
Apparently, one in six Vancouver residents are actively looking for a family doctor and 93 per cent think it is important for everyone to have a family doctor, according to the information on the website.
Over the next 12 weeks, Vancouver family doctors will launch a series of “patient-doctor summits,” something called “online engagement” and community meetings to improve health care for residents.
What it doesn’t say on the website is participants will likely wait a long time in a room and resort to leafing through old copies of Maclean’s and Sports Illustrated before the doctors make themselves available.
Yes, I know, they’re busy.
Good thing I never am.
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