EDMONTON—The former executive director of the United Conservative Party has been appointed as the province’s health and mental health patient advocate by the party’s health minister.

Janice Harrington, who previously served as the United Conservative’s executive director until June of this year, has been appointed as Alberta’s Health Advocate and Mental Health Patient Advocate on Friday by Minister of Health Tyler Shandro, according to a government news release.

Harrington’s two-year term will expire on Nov. 7, 2021, and she will be paid anywhere from $125,000 to $164,000 annually, according to Shandro’s spokesperson, Steve Buick.

“(Harrington’s) extensive leadership, communications and stakeholder work will serve well as she works directly with Albertans to ensure our health system meets their needs,” Buick said in a statement on her appointment.

“The Health Advocate must be a voice for Albertans and be capable of effectively engaging government, the public and other stakeholders,” Buick added. “Ms. Harrington has extensive experience working in media, public relations and marketing.”

The responsibilities of the province’s health advocate include protecting patients’ rights, investigating complaints, and making recommendations to improve patient care and Alberta’s overall health system, Buick said.

Their investigations or reviews are carried out under the Alberta Health Act or the Mental Health Act, and they report directly to the Minister of Health on their activities and progress.

According to Harrington’s Linkedin profile, she has had extensive experience in communications, government relations, and public affairs before taking on the healm as the United Conservative Party’s executive director in August 2017.

Harrington is credited in various media outlets as being instrumental in building the party up prior to its win in the Alberta election earlier this year. Harrington resigned as executive director on June 1, and declined to comment on the reasons behind her resignation, according to a CBC report.

Star Edmonton reached out to Harrington about her new appointment, but she declined to comment.

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