Dr. Thomas Piggott will be leading the region’s newly merged health unit, effective immediately.
The board of health for the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit announced on Tuesday (February 4) that Dr. Piggott, previously the medical officer of health and CEO for Peterborough Public Health, will be assuming the same roles on an acting basis for the new health unit, subject to the Minister of Health’s approval.
Dr. Natalie Bocking, previously medical officer of health and CEO for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, will be the deputy medical officer of health for the merged health unit.
“We had two great candidates who challenged the board process and both incumbents were very effective leaders of their respective organizations,” said Selwyn Township deputy mayor and board of health chair Ron Black in a media release.
“Dr. Piggott brings excellent knowledge of our community and public health to the role, and we are confident that our mandate of protecting and promoting the health of all residents will be met and exceeded upon.”
Dr. Piggott joined Peterborough Public Health as medical officer of health and CEO during the pandemic in December 2021, following the retirement of Dr. Rosana Salvaterra. He was previously the medical officer of health of Labrador-Grenfell Health in the northern regions of Labrador, where he also served as the executive lead for population health and rural and remote health in the region.
Prior to working at Labrador-Grenfell Health, Dr. Piggott worked as a field doctor with Médicins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is a public health and preventive medicine specialist as well as a family physician. Dr. Piggott’s wife is also a family physician and they have two young daughters.
As medical officer of health and CEO for the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit, Dr. Piggott will be working to design senior leadership team responsibilities and the design of a second public health physician position, which is part of a plan for strengthened medical coverage for the new organization.
The previous boards of health for Peterborough Public Health and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit approved a voluntary merger of the two health units in December 2024, after considering a merger since 2023 in response to an offer from the provincial government for additional one-time funding for health units that decide to merge.
The merger, which took effect on January 1, will see the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit receive $10.1 million in new provincial funding.
Although the legal name of the merged health unit is Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit, the original health units remain operational with no immediate impact on programs and services provided to the public. Later in the year, the merged health unit will announce its official name and branding.
