WECHU CEO reflects on COVID-19 pandemic on her retirement day

For Theresa Marentette, respondingto theworst public health crisis in generations was the final act in a public health career spanning over30 years.

Marentette, who is the CEO and chief nursing officer of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, is retiring on Wednesday.

She joined CBC Radio's Windsor Morning on her retirement day to reflect on her experience and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the last 15months, Marentette along with medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed hasbeen the faceof the COVID-19 response in Windsor-Essex, delivering updates and adviceto the public as the pandemic persisted through three deadly waves.

Marentette said the hardest part for her has been the lives the community has lostto COVID-19. One of herdarkest days was during the second wave when she reported thedeath of a man who was just 27when he succumbed to COVID-19.

WECHU CEO reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic

3 years ago

Duration 0:50

Theresa Marentette is retiring after more than 30 years in public health.

"I have three children and I have a daughter who'sthe exact same age, and it was just the realization that we could lose people so young," she said. "It was a difficult day."

Since the pandemic began in March 2020,16,820 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the region, and 434 people have died after contractingCOVID-19.

'A very good position'

Along with other dutiesincluding ongoing work to set up a supervised consumption site, Marentettehas beenat the helm forthe COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

So far, those efforts haveseen more than 40 per cent of Windsor-Essex adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and nearly three-quarters of adults with at least one dose.

With daily COVID-19 case counts now trending in the single digits,Marentetteindicated thatshefeels good about the status of the pandemic, though she said the delta variant could quickly change things.

"Today, I think we're in a very good position... it's not over yet but I think we're moving forward," she said.

Marentette announced her retirement back in April. Shejoined WECHUas a publichealth nurse in 1989. She became director of health protection and chief nursing officerin 2013, and was promoted to CEO in 2017.

Prior to her career with the public health unit,she worked as a nurse withthe Salvation Army Grace Hospital.

Nicole Dupuis, the current director of health promotion with WECHU, has been named the unit's new CEO.

Windsor Morning listeners will get a chance to hear from Dupuis on Monday.