Interview: Dr. Thomas Piggott on his role in public health

Peterborough Public Health (PPH) is facing two compounding health crises: the third wave of the COVID pandemic fueled by the Omicron variant and the epidemic of opioid-related deaths. In the midst of these concerns, the organization has taken on a new medical officer of health, Dr. Thomas Piggott. Piggott took up the post in December, moving to Peterborough from Labrador, where he was medical officer of health for Labrador-Grenfell. Prior to that, he worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Médecins Sans Frontières.His first few months as head of PPH have been focused squarely on responding to the COVID wave as well as working aggressively to secure interim funding for a safe drug consumption site. Alongside this work, PPH staff have had to respond to protests outside their office, and outside of Piggott’s home.Hear Dr. Piggott speak on his work, recent challenges and how he approaches public health in this interview. Additional linksOur reporting on the contaminated drug supply: https://peterboroughcurrents.ca/in-depth/opioid-poisoning-deaths-surged-in-2020/Music courtesy of Erika Nininger: https://erikanininger.bandcamp.com/